Tatoulia, right now is a time for you to be very focused on yourself. We want you to be taking good care of our friend Tatoulia.

Sometimes when you have been stressed and worried, the tired falls on you like a ton of bricks afterward. Just rest and focus on yourself. I'm really glad you set boundaries with your sister!

It's good to hear you are doing fun things and that your bf and cleaners are taking good care of you. I bet your car friend would be really happy if you borrowed her car sometime for a short little trip. It feels really good when you feel like you can repay someone who helped you. But I understand if you would not want the responsibility.

Poppies always make me think of the wizard of oz because one of my children was obsessed with that movie when they were kids.

Tillie, I think you had a typo in one of your posts. I'm sure you meant to say "Jack is now my cat."

Tillie and CM, thank you both for your thoughts on the basement and my article.

I am just at a hard point, knowing what I have to do and trying to accept it, but not fully there yet. And then there is so much doing - but when I started swimming laps, I could barely do an 800. And then I got up to two miles, and I swam the distance from my (childhood) home marina down the river and across the Chesapeake bay in one school year. So, 27,478 steps, one at a time.

The feeling of wanting that space to stay empty was new to me. Usually empty space just feels - empty.

I have tried to do the choosing what to keep approach - but I choose to keep too many things. I think they assume that you will choose the best thing and then the next, and at some point you will feel like you have enough or the remaining things will seem unappealing. But I just pick up each thing and think of a reason to keep it. So setting a standard the item must meet to stay would help, I think.

I am going to have to use the "house as a container method." And stop when my container is full. Of course, my container is probably going to be full like when I pick strawberries and I have to stop 7 times on the way back to the register to pick up the ones that fell off the top of the baskets, but even that is a start.

CM, nuts are a good snack. They give you protein and an energy boost.

You gave to feel safe before you can exercise, so I think talking to the staff is good. They should gave a plan in place that they can share with you.

It sounds like your dream might have been triggered by your friend moving and then you working on your bins. I think it is smart to take a break while you still want to do more - it will make it easier to get back to it.

Yesterday was a very busy day here! Dh mowed the fields in the morning - he almost mowed over a turkey nest, but the mother turkey spooked and alerted him, so he mowed around it. Then he took me for walk to see after he was done. We spooked her again, which I feel badly about, but I got to see that she had 9 eggs. Now we will stay away from there for a few weeks so she can hatch her poults. I may check on her with binoculars.

I also had the last baby goats of the season. A nice little boy and FINALLY a girl who is a keeper. They are very cute. So out of 8 babies I got one replacement doe. Not a great return, but no hard decisions at least.

And, dh took me to a minor league ballgame in another city. my dd2 met us there and we had a good time. I got home really late though.

Today it's supposed to rain all day. Dh says we are doing something downtown.

Sorry this is so long, but you guys posted a lot I wanted to respond to!

Off to work. I'm taking tmr off. I was originally taking off to spend with friend from MiddleEast but instead we are having dinner. So I'm still taking tmr off. Will meet different friend for lunch then go get bloodwork at hospital.

CM, I've always said that safety is a personal issue. You need to feel safe. For me, I can't use a restaurant bathroom if the bathroom is on a separate floor. I don't know who's lurking in the bathroom or who is waiting to go in behind me. And with the noisy restaurant being upstairs, no one will hear me scream. Yes this could happen in a restaurant where the bathrooms are on the same floor but there is less opportunity and less isolation. So I make my date go with me. When I was traveling home from a long drive from NY, the bathrooms were downstairs at the rest stop. So I kept BF on the phone with me. It was terribly embarrassing but I had to use the restroom and I was afraid. It's a funny thing, I know, but it's my personal sense of safety. I have two terrible stories along those lines and I was tangentially involved with both. So please, make no excuses and get the assurances that you need.

I was tired during my walk tonight. I needed a water. I had one but when I was feeding the cats downstairs, one took my water bottle cap and was so cute and then they were taking turns playing with them. I didn't have the heart to pick it up and wash it so I went for my walk without my bottle. I'll get it tomorrow night and wash it and reunite it with the bottle.

Please forgive me for not being more focused. I care about each of you. I'm just not focused. I hope I don't seem selfish.

Out for my walk right now. I'm sorry about your dreams about stuff, CM. I have them occasionally. I generally feel suffocated.
I'm just taking a quick rest so I can't really concentrate. I have been heartbroken about David Ortiz and I'm grateful he's here in Boston getting his care.

I know it's the final game for the Stanley Cup but walk I must. And I'm tired.

Hi all

Bit of a tireder day earlier for me. Trying to figure out if I did too much physically the previous two days, or it's just my whacko sleep cycle. I had another insane "stuff nightmare" - this one about a move and a million things to go through, pack, discard, whatever. There were friends in it. It may have been a vicarious "memory" of the time recently when my one friend was in the hospital and our other friend, her husband, and helpers cleaned out her apartment.

So I woke up and fed animals and then got so drowsy I took a nap from 11:00 to 2:00. Still felt kind of slow getting going. I was looking up some articles online and a couple of them were behind paywalls so I got motivated to come to the library to access them. On the way I did stop at the grocery (more about that in a minute).

One was in the Boston Globe and I was shocked to learn about the shooting of Red Sox player David Ortiz. I'm glad it wasn't fatal, and they're tracking down and arresting the perps.

SubC - I liked that "From Hoarder to Minimalist in 27,478 Insanely Hard Steps." Lots I can relate to in it. And as I was Googling the title, I see there are more sites and videos and such with the tags of going from hoarder to minimalist. Makes me feel like I'm not the only one and the idea isn't impossible or crazy. I was beginning to wonder if I should give up on the minimalist goal, but now I feel emboldened.

Your account of the basement path and the ladder and so on - and that need to acknowledge what we don't feel ready for - I get that, too. It seems to work to just acknowledge that we aren't ready for something but that we want to be ready. I think we'll get there.

The idea in the blog post about comparing things against the things you like the most:
When I was going to that local clutter club, the leader did suggest to make decisions based on what to keep rather than what to get rid of - it sounds more positive that way. I agree.

Tatoulia glad you got that reassurance from your doctor, and hope it gives you much peace.

Tillie, what is Jack's opinion on whether or not he's your cat? Have you asked him? LOL!

Poppies make me think of my maternal grandfather who fought in World War I and the poem "In Flanders Fields."

I got a few things at the grocery store on my way to the library. So that was good, because doing that is something I really struggle with motivation for. It's just too darn complicated! Between having a tight budget, wanting to resume my weight loss, living with difficult cooking conditions in this crowded house, being a picky eater, going through my summer appetite slump when nothing I do like even sounds good - you get the picture.

I ended up getting some nuts. I'm going nuts! LOL! Just something for protein nibbles. I got other items too, and I remembered a stash of canned goods at home that I need to bring forward now that the shelf is less crowded.

The way I changed my eating pattern to lose weight late 2016 after my surgery is something I'm trying to recapture - but it's not quite the same during regular ordinary life. Like the tiredness I felt earlier - nutritional needs may also be playing a part. That's why I thought of the nuts. It might rewire my brain from some of the carb habit. I'm not one of those Atkins or Paleo or Plant Based fanatics, nor do I intend to become one. But I'm okay with switching things up a little when I've been feeling so dissatisfied with the status quo - and no weight has been coming off.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but right when I might be able to start going to the YMCA to exercise again, in my town they've had two incidences of sex crimes. One was a worker abusing kids in the kids' program; he was arrested and of course fired. The other was a guy who molested two teenage girls and assaulted a third. The Y lets people in community programs like mental health organizations use the facilities, and they do an offender registry check - but if someone has never been convicted, they wouldn't be on the registry.

I want to go talk with someone about what steps they've implemented to keep people safe since these incidents. There were things mentioned in the news such as more security cameras, but I want to talk with someone. And of course I'll be very vigilant and ready to fight back if anyone bothers me. I know I'm more paranoid than most people, but it's okay, we all have different responses to that sort of thing.

Well, I better get home - may even go with roommate to walk the dog just to stretch my legs a bit.

It may be off and on rainy - today was the last of the cool nice days, so I feel sort of sad I didn't go to the storage unit, but also I was concerned if I went a third day in a row when I was tired, I might get burnt out. Hope I made the right call on that. If I can just get anything I can think of that I want to donate to the church sale, that's the main thing. Saturday is when they start accepting stuff.

P.P.S.

Jack is not my cat ;P

P.S.
The Poppies also remind me of my Grandmother.
Interesting how we have the same Granma memories. ;)

Hi Tatoulia

Hope you laid down on your freshly made bed and took a nap.

So nice you have someone to pass things along to.
All I have is Nate & his Mrs. and I know their lifestyle and what they do or do not want or need.
When they were here near Thanksgiving I gave them my HUGE ancient cast iron fry pan and I had made a bunch of rag rugs and had them choose all they wanted and they took 5.
Also gave them a bunch of Nintendo games, accessories and one game unit.


Your evening out sounds so nice!
You are fortunate to live in an area where you can do things like that.
When I lived in Reno I often went to various shows and programs.

Very decent of you to offer your sister the car and I am so RELIEVED that you didn't and won't offer cash money and longer. (((HUG)))

YEA! for your friend who is finally able to finance a car!
Bet she feels so good and proud of her achievement.

Please follow your doctor's orders and don't stress about your health.

The poppies remind me of my grandmother. I'm glad you and your cat, jack, were able to enjoy some Quality Time.

Cleaners did a great job and while they were here I wrestled with a few more things to put in their bags. Yes I had two bags for them. I was able to add a pair of earrings, two skirts and a necklace to the two overflowing bags. I also had a tiny bag of jewelry. I'm so grateful to have the ladies. It is much easier to clear out when I know how much they like my clothes. I'm really happy about it. They loved the white bedspread.

I had them change my sheets. Yes they were just changed on Saturday but I really wanted them to do that for me.

I don't feel like walking now. I feel like laying down. I have neighbor's cats to feed and I'll go feed them in a bit.

Last night I went to the Boston Pops. The first half was dedicated to the moon landing and we even had an astronaut in and she read a bit about space exploration. They also had our nations first Youth poet laureate and my goodness, she was strong, compelling, smart, talented and lovely. In the second half Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester from Glee) was belting out American Classics and she was funny, entertaining and lovely. I had wanted to go when I first heard about the program but I waited til the last minute to buy seats. Generally if I'm going alone I wait it out. And sure enough, on Monday there was an email and I was able to get a table seat for $20 vs the $96 price others had paid. I enjoyed my table mates immensely and I had tasty little roast beef and Boursin sandwiches and treated myself to a lemonade. Great night.


Im tired now. I'm not sure why. Spoke with dr yesterday and he was very clear that I shouldn't be stressed out about my health and he even sent me a text telling me not to stress about it. He's so sweet and such a good dr.

I'm proud of everyone's hard work.

OH. I heard from sister today who said she is depressed and I told her I know how it feels and to just fight it. She sent another email saying financial problems and that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. She sent another saying too many deaths (I'm pretty sure she's talking about celebrity deaths) and I told her I had noticed that she feels them deeply. I said, anytime you want to visit mom and me, just let us know. Then I found out she hasn't had a working car in a month. So I said, if you want my car, you can have it. Just transfer it into your name and take it. She was touched by the generous offer and said she'd get back to me. She won't, though. She can't make decisions. But I offered and I was sincere. I am no longer supporting people with my money, so I didn't ask what's wrong with her car or anything that would make her think I'd be offering any money. I just offered the car.

The woman who has been driving my car just got her own car. So I no longer have to worry about having a car here for her. And she was so sweet-took me for a ride in it the same day she got it, and said that if I get rid of my car, I can borrow hers anytime (very sweet but I won't-she is paying monthly on it).

So that's the news from here. I'm still tired

Good Morning Everybody
Still morning here...

Hi Tatoulia
Keep up the important work of self health and having fun times. :D

Hi Subclinical
Thanks for the explanation of 27,478 steps.

I always try to advise laying out similar items and deciding (rating them) which are the best and which are the least favorite.
It always helps to see what you are keeping as you let others go.
When we just focus on what is leaving we can sometimes start to feel deprived and then start to cling onto items that no longer serve us.

A nice clean tidy arrangement of all the "keepers" can help us feel confident with our cast-off decisions.

WAY TO GO! for finding some things to donate while organizing the basement!

Easy access through areas and ease in moving needed things through areas is very important.
That is something Steven has never accomplished here and it makes life more difficult than it needs to be and even dangerous.

Good luck figuring out an arrangement that allows you to keep that space and keep the walkway straight and clear. ;)


Went out early and watered flowers.
I have Poppies blooming in the catnip.
I did not plant Poppies. LOL

Jack was wanting extra pettings & lovins this morning at breakfast.

Planning to grocery shop tomorrow morning so today I hosed off the car.
Lots of tree stuff falls on it, it gets very dusty and birds poop on it. :P

Sorry I've been absent. Working on health and also doing some fun evening activities.

Yay for kitty making it to, and more importantly from, the vet! SubC I hope dh is feeling better. There was a lot to read from everyone. CM way to go in the storage unit!

I'll pop back in later. Cleaners couldn't make it in time on Monday and they are slated for today. I purposefully haven't made my bed.

CriticalMass, that is fantastic that you are feeling motivated to tackle your storage area!

I bet that as you keep shifting things into the clear bins, you find more stuff that can go. That is what is happening with me, I didn't set out to clean anything out of my basement, just to rearrange, but it seems like I am finding something every day to let go of.

I found a picture frame last night. I had to call my mom and get her to "say grace over it" as we put it, but she was fine with me letting it go. I'm going to see her in July, and I was fully prepared to take it with me and give it to her.

I found an essay online called "From Hoarder to Minimalist in 27,478 Insanely Hard Steps" (obviously she is mocking the "seven easy steps" "10 easy steps" etc self help articles, but also, it is true.) Her "cliff notes" version was "step 1, get rid of something....step 27,478, get rid of something."

One of the suggestions she makes in her essay is to actually lay out items in a row to measure the items you are judging against. Her particular measurement standards are not what i'm looking for, but I find the idea very helpful. My favorite dress was hanging in the laundry room drying this week, and every time I walked by it, I smiled. It is comfortable, it is machine washable, it has pockets, I love the colors, I love the print, I love the fabric, and dh says it looks good on me.

So I should wear this dress every day. ;)

But seriously, I should be judging everything else in my closet against this dress.

I shifted stuff around in the basement last night. I accidentally made a space that I like having as a space, but dh path is blocked again, (there is A clear path through the room, it is just not the specific arrow straight path in the specific location that is dh one request for this room) and if I move the furniture so that it is not interfering with the path, I will have to close up the space OR move the furniture out of the room, and I don't know where else it can go, and I am sad.

There is a reason for the path. If the path is not there, items such as the big ladder for putting up Christmas decorations cannot be moved from upstairs to the workshop without taking them outside, walking halfway around the house, and negotiating the exterior stairway into the basement. The outside steps can be icy, or covered in snow, and sometimes (often!) it rains.

I am also starting to come to grips with the idea that everything that is currently in the basement cannot stay in the basement unless I want to have a giant pile of stuff filling up half of a room forever. The rest of the house is full, so any item that comes upstairs is going to have to replace an item that is already here.

I KNOW this, but I am not ready to accept it.

Hi CriticalMass

Yeah, that's Twinkle's problem.
Something about his gums rejecting his teeth. (?)
His brother Marty developed the same problem.

WAY TO GO!
For digging into the storage unit!

That's sorta like getting your feet wet before you dive in.

See, you need to go through it and find if there are any other things you do not want people to find if you die. ;D

That's one of the things "The Gentle Art Of Swedish Cleaning" addresses.

Hi,

Lots of news

Yesterday I went to do an errand and stopped on the way home at my storage unit. I'd wanted to get my small stash of 4th of July fabric in hopes I could make some doll clothes with it. I also thought I'd just drop off those clear tubs but not get involved in a big project.

But when I got there I found myself going ahead and swapping out several of the opaque tubs for the nice new clear ones! It just sort of happened. Occasionally my ADD works in my favor that way.

And this morning I ended up going by there again, and stopping to get my glass beads, and doing some more putting stuff in nice tubs and stacking them neatly. This is seeming less intimidating, and quite satisfying.

It may be less fun when I get to the books, but I'm not to the books yet so I'm not going to worry about them.

I'll go back more this week and comb through for things to donate to the church sale. Maybe even some books, LOL!

One thing I found was kind of cringeworthy - I thought I'd already gone through most of the "If I die, I don't want anybody to find this." I knew I still had some journals but I thought I'd purged the ones about the darkest times and the most embarrassing secrets of my life, years ago before my hysterectomy surgery. But I found some that apparently slipped through the net, and I was like Hoo boy, glad I caught this, but it's not going to be fun going through it. I did go through some of it last night. There will be a shredding party. I am thinking of putting some of it in highly disguised form in one of my novels, it would make good character development if I can distance it emotionally and change details, etc. If I don't think I can, then it will just get shredded as is.

Glad Twinkles got some vet care - is he having that weird ailment where they reabsorb their teeth? My roommate's girl kitty has that. She is managing okay at the moment, but she had lost some weight last year. Hasn't put it all back on but looks better. She is the one more likely to do scarf and barf, and maybe that has something to do with her teeth.

The times we wish they could speak our language and tell us what they need... we would worry less.

I'm at the library and I'd better get home and put my girl bunny back in her cage and get the boy out for his run.

Hi Subclinical
Thank you
Yes, at 12 1/2 pounds he is boney.
He's gotten over the "going to the Vet" mood (snit) and come out from under the bed.
LOL ;D

YEA! for the filter and two pair of boots off to donation!
Very glad you won't be keeping around footwear that would hurt you.

Fresh donuts
such a tasty treat.

Bet it was so nice hiking by the stream. :)

Glad to hear the good news about twinkles! Mr. kitty is only a medium sized cat, so when I saw his weight loss, I was very worried. That would be almost 1/4 of my cat!

I'm glad Steven took him and will pay the vet bills too.

Dh and I had a nice time. I got donuts at the market, and we went for a hike near a stream on the way home. He told me about the hike and so I started to put on the hiking boots i've had since we were married, but haven't worn in years (usually I hike in sneakers) they were really stiff and I laughed about it, and he said "those are dead. Get rid of them." So I brought the "hand me up" boots my Dd gave me where she outgrew them in high school. They were ok, but they crowded my toes a little and would not have been good for all day. So, that is two pairs of hiking boots leaving.

Dh has gone to play golf with people from work, so I started back on my basement, and I found a replacement coffee filter that does not fit the coffee maker we have now. So that can go too.

Twinkles has returned from the Vet alive!

His mouth issues are back, something he inherited from his parents.
Has an August appointment to get dental work done.
Also received a steroid shot to help his mouth.
He also has pink eye so I have ointment for him.

He lost 2 1/4 pounds since he was last at the Vet.
Now he will feel like eating more food and gain back some weight.
He is a large cat and should weigh 14 to 16 pounds.

Good Morning

Hi Subclinical
Have fun at the market.


Think I should go to town some time this week.
Didn't go anywhere last week.
Running out of food now.

Been keeping busy doing lots of little things around here.

Steven finally agreed to take Twinkles to the doctor.
He has an appointment today at 11:20.
He's been losing weight and being extra whiney.
I would have taken him myself but whenever I do Steven gets angry about the bill I paid but when Steven takes them and pays the bill he doesn't B*%$! at me about it or say mean things to the cat.
So I make him schedule appointments & pay the bills. :p

Dh felt better yesterday evening and went out for some food and made dinner.

We aren't going to the shelf store today because today is going downtown to the market day.

Also he spent a lot of yesterday curled up on the couch surging the web and sketching and decided he is going to build his own custom stereo shelf out of mostly wood he already has in his shop, so I think he probably won't get interested in the other shelf again until after that is done.

Good Afternoon Everybody
So much to catch up on! :D

Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO!
You have been making some great progress!
Organizing, straightening, recycling, rehoming, repurposing, finding space in new under used places and donating.

Hope your Dh just needs one day to get back on his feet. Be terrible if his week off was spent feeling punky.

Wishing you both the best time looking for the exactly perfect shelf.


Hi CriticalMass
WAY TO GO!!!!!
For all you got done with the laundry!!!! :D

Thinking about things is where it all begins.
First we think & brain storm for solutions then we can begin the work of putting our thoughts & plans into action.

Via Con Dios Chica ;)

Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!!! for cleaning ladies!!!
WOW! Just WOW! that the dresses are all & only the ones you currently wear!


Been very busy since early morning.
Feel very good about all I got done today.
Scrubbed & scoured the back porch, it was disgracefully filthy.
Had 2 loads of laundry on the line over night, brought it in and put it away this morning and then hung out 2 more wash loads I just did.
Been watering trees and doing a little yardwork too.
My coat is all clean and ready to put away until next Autumn.
Table cloths and couch quilt and some curtains and Scooter's quilt and blanket are all washed.

Well, dh woke up not feeling well this morning, so we stayed home.

More puttering.

I found a box of Dixie cups i'm going to take to my classroom, and an "antique" pretzel tin that went in the donate bin.

I discovered that the cool rolling bin I found that wouldn't actually roll under anything fits perfectly under the paper cutter table now that I stuck 1/2" blocks of wood under the table legs.

I talked to my cousin for an hour.

I'm hoping dh feels better tomorrow.

CM, I am really glad you are coming around more.

I like the dissertation on bins. You are thinking about how you are going to organize your stuff so that you can manage it better, and that is good.

Tatoulia, that is awesome about your dresses! I am happy that your cleaners are coming again too.

I have been working down in the basement again - still just sorting and organizing. Recycled a few bits of old brown wrapping paper.

But, here is an accomplishment:
I had plastic stacking shelves two deep and full in the guest room closet. They weren't one full one in front of another full one, they were like that so that I could turn rectangular boxes the deep way.

I have been moving things around in the house, and this morning I realized I had a clear space on a deep shelf deep enough for the three game boxes that didn't have a narrow direction. I carried the paper bag of hangers down to the basement, put my sewing machine on the floor next to the shelf, moved those three games, removed the front set of plastic shelves, turned the remaining games sideways, and STILL had enough room to bring the stack of puzzles up from the basement and put them on the shelf in the closet!

So, somehow my organizing and cleaning has opened up space equal to three 10" deep, 30" shelves! I still have too many games and puzzles, but if I can see them, I can get to making better choices.

The new room is very sparse and open. Not much furniture, and only a few little foot cube cubby shelves (three low ones behind the couch and four made into speaker stands by stacking them 2 high.) There is one wall that was planned to have a bookshelf, and we do not have the bookshelf. Also, dh stereo equipment is stacked on an old poor quality set of drawers.

So, dh told me last night that today we are going furniture shopping at the Amish furniture store that I love! Our goal is to find a nice bookshelf (possibly with doors on the bottom to put table cloths and a seasonal throw inside) and something for his stereo.

The top of the bookshelf will have a few books, some family pictures, and some of my favorite pottery - with space around it.

Quick hello. I haven't done anything around the house this weekend other than routine maintenance. I am focusing on health right now but clean house is part of my health.

Cleaners surprised me by asking me if I'd like them to come tomorrow YES. Answer is always yes.

So I walked to work, walked back home, took mom out for groceries, walked back home. Relaxed, watched the Tonys, took an intermission for a walk, picked up cat litter, showered, now ready for bed.

Cm I'm glad you are being thoughtful about the containers.

I will give the cleaners their large bag of clothes and bedspread. I should do another look at what I can give them. I finally have my dress rack completely clear with only dresses I currently wear.

Errata for previous post:

"free and clear"

not "fred and clear"

Turned off predictive text on this Android tablet because it was sluggish and annoying, but now I have to try and catch more typos.

Hi again!

I actually got most of those clothes from yesterday hung up/put away after all. Found a few that escaped getting into the laundry loads but no probs, I still have a load of towels to do so they can go with those.

SubC, smaller bins or boxes are nice. I'm paying attention to size as I pick out my new clear tubs. Generally not going above the 56 Quart:

Dimensions (Overall): 23.0 inches (L) x 16.25 inches (W) x 12.38 inches (H)

I get them at Target or Dollar General, Sterilite brand, and they're more squared off. The same brand ones at Walmart now have more curved sides, which grates my OCD soul because of the waste of space, LOL. 😅

Those Target ones also come in a 28 qt. half the depth, and in sweater box and shoe box. Plain white lids to gratify the would-be minimalist in me. There are also larger ones which MIGHT be useful for artworks, and there are heavy duty ones with latching handles.

Anyhoo... apologies for the boring dissertation on storage boxes - but the bottom line is I'm thinking in terms of the smallest size box that can be deployed for a thing/group of things. So that later, when moving, no one including me suffers physical injury lifting many heavy overstuffed tubs. Big ones only for large lightweight stuff, and as few of those as possible.

OK. Enough on boxes for now, I promise.

I do have books, and the thing is, my quirky books I will keep. May have mentioned this before bug our new library now charges 3 bucks a pop for Interlibrary Loan. I tend to need it for books on obscure subjects (like flaky old 70s-90s UFO books) for my novel and blog writing research, new books I hear about and want to read right away but don't want to shell out for new hardcovers, etc.

I don't like the terms and conditions on commercial ebooks, where you pay but still don't own the book fred and clear.

I get free ebooks and PDFs from sites like Gutenberg Project, Baen (science fiction), and various places. But it still is harder to remember to finish them. I downloaded a classic called Varney the Vampire from Gutenberg over 5 years ago, got about halfway, and still need to finish it! This could be our new running joke, like the badger: "CM, finish Varney the Vampire!" I was enjoying it, just got distracted.

This has been kind of a meandery post, and I'll wrap up now, since I go to my 96 year old early tomorrow. I have to be alert, because if her mind is fuzzy she speaks way more Spanish, and my 3 years of it in high school is barely adequate. I even Googled what I realized were some idiomatic expressions the other day - which was helpful. It's a challenge!

Dh took me to a play. My friend was in it and she won an award! We went out to eat to celebrate!

Her husband brought me mulberry jam and he wants some of my extra canning jars.

Found a purse to put in the donate bin while I was getting ready.

Hello Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
That's so good that they got you replacement Kindles.
You just needed to learn to not treat that first one like a paperback.
Lots of people sit on their laptops. :/


Got lots & lots of tiny little things done today.

Good morning!

I'm at office. Doing a little work. Walked down. Will walk back.

Tillie my first kind died in an unfortunate accident where I fell asleep and for some reason I put my elbow on the screen as I was getting out of bed. Very sad. I believe at the time that the costs was 199, and for 50 they sent me a new one. I also bought a hard jacket for it. The second one for some reason just gave out, and the woman on the phone said, let me send you a new one. No charge. I forget what happened to that one but the 4th one the guy was being a real jerk in the phone to me about the whole situation and I was asking if he could just send me an old one (at this point there were two more versions out) and I was frankly surprised by his tone and manner. So I asked to speak with someone else (anybody else) and he said, well I'm offering you X amount off a newer version and the next person won't. The next person in the phone, I just said, I love my kindle. I love it so much. It's my favorite thing and I love it. And the man said, I'll send you an old second generation, no charge, just please send the broken one back and we'll be good. And that answered that. And it's been 100% great. That was a long time ago.

I was good with actual books. I would bring paperbacks on vacation (esp when traveling overseas) so I could just leave them behind and not bring back.
Back to work. Enjoy your day!! Say hello to Jack for me.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Yes, I remember you mentioned that some are shoebox size.
That way small items are getting sorted out (like with like) and not getting lost in a bigger bin with other types of things.

Those are very good goals you have set for yourself.
Good luck finishing the closet this month and getting the basement under control! :D


Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!! There was great food that you could eat at the church festival!
If I had to choose only one type of food to eat for the rest of my life I would choose Mediterranean.

Your Kindle always having unfortunate accidents makes me want to know if you where always loosing paper books here & there too before you switched to the Kindle? ;)


When it warms up a bit outside I plan to water the flowers & grass.
Will putter around in here tidying up.

SubC those are great goals!!!!

I love my kindle. I have the second generation kindle, no back lighting, it's like reading on paper. I love it because it holds so many books and doesn't take up any room. I got rid of 20 boxes of books. Yup, 20 boxes. When I first started here that's what I did. I had to make room for mom's wedding china and other things and I got rid of books. It hurt so bad. I had them three deep on my shelves in my closet (I have California closets and specially had them made to hold tons of books. I had books everywhere. My bookshelves in what I used to call my library were stuffed with books. Bedroom: cluttered with books.

I am grateful that I took to the kindle with no trouble at all. I understand the need for the heft and feel of a book, but my goodness, I am grateful for the kindle. One funny side effect: I never know what I'm reading. I know the subject, naturally, but not the title. Because I'm not carrying my book around or looking at the cover.

I know I'm lucky to feel this way. It is not for everyone, and I don't try to push it on people. It helped me a lot when I was getting rid of books. It helped me to know it would be okay and the books could still be my friends. Oddly enough, my mother, a champion book lover/hoarder loves her kindle too.

Due to some unfortunate accidents I am on kindle #4. The last go round it was difficult to get the old school ones I like. I'm being more careful to not be a bonehead.

Now back to Jack: I love him. I'm glad he's yours, Tillie.

Hello hello!

Cm great to hear from you! Congratulations on doing all of that laundry!!! I know it was a huge task and you did it!!!!! WTG!

Tillie you took care of dear Jack. You are so wonderful and kind and lovely. On behalf of cats everywhere, thank you.

SubC you are doing great! And I'm glad you cleared the aisle.

The church festival was great and the food was fantastic! Very delicious. There was American Food (that's what the sign said) and Mediterranean Food. So delicious. We got a plate to go for Mom and she was so happy with it.

After I left mom's I went for a walk then came home. Then I walked up to see BF and he went on a nice walk with me. I think he's worried about my health. Now I'm home and ready for bed. But first had to check in with you all.

Goodnight, see you tomorrow. And Diane, wherever you are, and however your house looks, I love you lots. And I miss you.

CriticalMass!

Tillie, you shouted and she came!

Great job on the laundry CM! I am wishing you great luck also with the storage area and the rummage sale.

I tried an ebook this year. I do not like them. I will request the real thing and wait for interlibrary loan if I have to. My Dad loves ebooks though, but that is because he is visually impaired and can make the print huge. Large print books are big and heavy and still require him to use magnifying lenses.

We will both keep on. I do want to mention that the bins are many different sizes. Some of them are shoebox sized. All the ones belonging to my kids are big ones though. So, that is hopeful.

I am setting two goals - by the end of June I will finish my closet. And by the end of summer, everything in the basement will be sorted and organized. Without buying more bins or other containers. Even if I have to put stuff in paper grocery bags until I clear out bin space.

Hi CriticalMass

Great to see you today.. :)

WAY TO GO! working on the laundry and hanging some in the closet even!

That's the problem with plans
things come up and all our plans get delayed.

Good luck filling your tub with donations for the church rummage sale.

Hope the cooler dryer weather holds for you and you get to work in storage.
Clear bins are so much better than the opaque ones, no need to label everything.

Really wishing you at least a little bit of time to do your crafts, writing or other fun leisure activities.


Hi Subclinical
WTG! for putting things in a donation bin!

Good that you moved the box that could get wet.
That was helpful Dh pointed that out.

I know that things get shifted around and temporarily get put in aisles.
YEA! for moving them out of the path! :)

Very glad to know you are limiting yourself on the number of bins and are not going to get any more.

Limits...
we all need limits.
It keeps us from allowing things to get out of hand.
Things like our weight, alcohol consumption, speeding, what we will put up with from other people, how much work we will do in one day, how much stuff we will keep, etc.


I made a candle today and really didn't do anything else.

I'm here! It's been longer than I meant to be gone...I was elderly lady sitting this past week, picking up more time than usual as her daughter had a trip out of town.

My roommate went for an overnight (she's on the road home now) to where her mom lives. I spent today doing all the laundry I had piled up for way too long during the time my friend was in the hospital. It changed from cold end-of-winter to spring/summer during those weeks, and the clothes are the evidence! But now they are clean. And I'm tired... and I need to call my friend to catch up on how things are going.

Had to ransack my bedroom to find all the clothes, though it's been such a mess I may have inadvertently helped it? LOL. You may recall I've wanted to move stuff so I could reach the closet - well, I did reach it. Hung up some clothing items that were washed some time ago and weren't able to be hung up at the time. With today's two laundry loads, this may all take more than one day to wrap up. I'll keep at it though.

The stuff in front of the closet in part contains my file boxes, which I've been meaning to straighten and restack neatly. And I think it'd be safe to get rid of health/Rx insurance statements more than - what, 2-3 years old? They are about 4-5 sheets of paper apiece and I've never had to look back at any of them.

Dolls, sewing/quilting project bags, writing notebooks, and other items also got caught in the small hurricane I made. This coming week is much less scheduled, though, so if I stay focused I'll accomplish what I've been wanting to for so long, which is to neaten up all that and put things back in their proper places.

In my van are transparent tubs I've bought, a few each month after payday. I need to start taking them over to the storage unit and transferring things out of opaque tubs like I've been meaning to. My church garage sale is this month, so keeping a donation box with me as I go through stuff there and here at the house will be a good idea. Maybe the opaque tubs themselves can go!

The weather has finally moved on from the rainy pattern and the river settled within its normal banks. If it doesn't get too hot too soon I can get enough storage stuff accomplished before hot weather hits. It's hard to have missed another spring (or fall) season; that happens too often. But it was for a worthy cause. I'll do my best to work around the delay factor.

Another thing going on is that the bunny club is having the fundraiser in August, so I must also dedicate some time to working on projects for that. Those bunnies are high maintenance! The shelter house is bursting at the seams with around 30 rabbits now. People are finding our group readily on Facebook - the ones who want to know if we can take in their rabbit(s)! Why aren't the adopters also finding us? Sigh.

Tatoulia, hope the diet changes are helping you feel well and energetic.

Joan, glad to hear you found another helpful healthy thing. Your determination is awesome to behold.

SubC, congrats on getting the evaluations done. Try not to get discouraged on the clutter cleaning. I feel that frequently, I have dreams almost every night about being in places like flea markets with tons and tons of stuff. It's depressing. But we must keep going. I love labeling too...

I'd like to read that "Digging Out" book, but I don't want to buy it. Our new city library has gone so much to digital material that they don't have it in book form. There is some sort of ebook service, I don't know if it'd be available that way. I'm kind of slow getting in the habit of reading ebooks - I've read some but I'm slower with them than with traditional paper books.

Tillie, I kind of had a feeling Jack would wrap paws around your heart. Keep on keeping on.

My cousin didn't answer the phone.

We moved a sweater, a shirt, and a dress from my closet to the donate bin. Earlier I tossed a graduation robe in there from the costume trunk.

Dh looked at the basement. He can't really tell that I did anything except that he likes where I put my big desk (the one I store things in/on, not the folding one where I actually work). It's ok, because I mostly moved stuff around.

He reminded me that I was supposed to keep his aisle (through the room to the workshop) clear and I moved the things I had shifted into it. He also showed me a corner that will be wet if the condensate pump on the hvac system fails, so I moved a box away from there.

When I showed my mom the room, she started trying to help me figure out where I could put more bins to store the stuff that was still a mess.

I said "Mom. I am not buying another bin." And she got her sympathetic voice out and asked "did he say you weren't allowed to?" I said "no. I said i'm not allowed to. I have 72 bins! If I clear out three a year I'll be done before i'm 80!"

He's your cat now.

You had to ask........

OK, I will tell you.

A few weeks ago Jack (you're not my cat) was severely injured.
He was all chewed up.
His front left leg was mauled all the way down.
His little toe, the one to the outside of the paw was dislocated and degloved.
Jack could not walk.
He asked me for help.
I did whatever I could think to do to help him.
Steven refused to pay for Veterinarian care for him.

Anyways...........
Jack is fine and doing very well now.
He is able to walk with only a slight limp at times.
He is happy and keeps flirting with me.
He lays down & rolls around, always keeping an eye on me to make sure I'm watching.
He keeps close and always smiles & winks when I see him.

But,
Jack is not your cat!

Why would you retrieve him? ;)

Hi Subclinical

YEA!!! WTG!!!!
For being brave and taking the pictures!
Having a photo is the best way for you to see how things have changed.

I like how you have containerized and shelved your items.
You are creating order out of chaos.
It is in a limited space where you have created boundary lines for it.

I seriously believe that a person with hoarding tendencies needs a space of their own to store things.
Everybody should have a limited space of their own to do with what they choose.

I am so very, very sorry to hear how your Aunt was injured.
She deserves better that that ((((HUGS))))

I try to stay away from all the hoard here but sometimes I have to venture through it and so often I am injured or my clothes are torn.

Mostly I am out there to retrieve a cat, one like Jack.

Hi Tatoulia

Those shrimp will be a delicious addition to any dish.

Yes, I miss Diane too. :(
She was so happy to have her freezer for frozen fruit to make her smoothies.

Have fun at that festival.
Probably very little will be there you could eat.

That tale of the man living at the office would be good bones for a movie.
LOL ;D

Thank you
Yes my brother did come down my road and stood out there hoping I would allow him onto my property.
I didn't & he eventually got the message and left.

Haven't done much of anything today.
Steven is going shopping at the thrift shop and might visit yard sales too. >:(

I haven't done much today because there really isn't much for me to do.
All my chores are done, house is neat & tidy.


Steven has done none, nada, zilch to clean up his mess.

Tatoulia, youbare living on the wrong coast.

So, I finished that rack. And I took before pictures. Technically, they are during pictures, but I have never been brave enough to take before pictures before.

And I FaceTimed my mom, and I showed her the rack and told her "this is what contained mental illness looks like." She didn't laugh.

She says my cousin (the one who is like a good sister) is planning to spend the next week with my aunt and uncle "helping them downsize". My uncle is also a hoarder. Except he is in denial that he has a problem. My aunt struggles to keep clear space in the house. She fell last year and was hospitalized. She tripped over something that should not have been there and hit her head on something that should not have been there and knocked herself out cold and needed stitches.

My uncle and my mom own property together and he has hoarded the buildings. He keeps everything clean and in good repair, but he is constantly paying people to move stuff from building to building so things can be fixed or cleaned. He can afford it. My mom wants to sell the property, but he always has reasons for why this is a bad time. He manages everything and never gives my mom bills. Sometimes he even gives her checks for "rent". Mom worries because she knows my cousin doesn't have money and there are expenses that her brother is paying (property taxes, power, water, repairs...)

I should call my cousin.

So Tillie I'm so sorry about your siblings and I admire your strength. I seem to recall that once your brother passed by and you refused to see him. And I'm glad you did.

SubC I cannot thank you enough for the description of the room! Perfect! And well done!

Tillie your mention of the freezer reminds me of Diane and how much I miss her. When I first got in here, she had just purchased the extra freezer. Oh how I miss her so.

I went to visit BF and there's a festival at his church so we will go to that in the afternoon. I then went for a walk and watched a bit of the parade. It is an absolutely beautiful day here. Sunny, cool breeze. Lovely.

In my perfect world it would be in 50s every night if not colder. In the day time never warmer than 70, 72.

I bought a big bag of frozen wild caught shrimp. I can take our and defrost portions to add to salads or sandwiches. The shrimp are raw, so I'll gave to defrost then cook, which is only a few minutes.

Will relax, take another walk then shower and get ready for our time today.

Tillie we have tons of space at work. Probably more than we need. The office is fresh and nice and well-maintained. I tend to stay on my floor or the one directly above me. The space is so beautiful and bright and clean.

Going to read a bit then head back out there.

Good Morning Everybody

HI CRITICALMASS
Shouting so you can hear me. ;)

Hi Subclinical
GREAT! job there!
Sounds like a very good setup for storage and easy enough to access now.

Relieved your dollhouse pieces are in a safe place where they won't be getting damaged or lost.

WAY TO GO! For a clear hallway!

Hi Tatoulia
I knew you had a sister.
I had two sisters who are hideous, substance abusers with less morals than an alley cat who have always been physically and mentally abusive to me.
My two brothers are even worse.
My whole family always hated me so I evicted them all from my life decades ago.

Your office building is HUGE!
No wonder you work from home whenever you can.

WAY TO GO! Clean laundry & a freshly made bed!!!

Where ever you end up going today have a wonderful time.
Visiting orphan kitties would be so hard for me to leave them there.


It's COLDagain.
Had to get back out the space heater since it's 59 degrees inside here.
Yesterday it was cool and breezy.
So glad the freezer is gone from the pantry and I can now store the space heaters in there instead of trying to get them in the garage.
Now they are easily accessible when needed. :D

So, there is a 14x17 rectangular room.

One short wall is a staircase and under stairs closet. The other short wall is one of the foundation walls. it has been broken and reinforced by being braced with steel beams that are now supporting the house. Measure out 30" from the surface of the beams. Install a rack that runs parallel to the wall and fill it with bins. (Leave a 3ft gap at each end of the rack so that it touches no walls and you can enter the 30" gap from either end) This uses a total of 5 feet of the room.

Go to the side of the rack that is away from the wall. Put bookshelves against the rack facing out into the room. You have now used 6 ft of the room. The room is now 14x11 and rectangular in the other direction - one wall is bookshelves instead of ugly patched concrete. There is an open "doorway" at each end of the bookshelves.

That is what I did.

Great work, SubC! Clearing the hallway!!!! I can't quite picture what you are describing. But that doesn't stop me from being thrilled. Yay on donations!

Three loads of laundry done! And my bed is made! So happy about this.

I'm going to go see BF and show him my new glasses. Then I don't know what I'll do. I have to walk. It's the Pride Parade today (I think). So downtown will be a bit of a zoo. I may cross the river instead, into Cambridge. Or I could go down to the cat shelter and visit with the cats. Time will tell.

Wow Tatoulia! You are rocking the laundry! And soon you will be getting up with me!

I'm sorry you don't have a good sister. I don't have a sister at all, but I have a cousin who is like a sister.

I cleared* the "hallway".

* by "cleared" I mean, made it empty, swept, and then decided that along with the step stool I would leave the chair with the busted cane that is nice to put the bins on instead of the floor, and also the pieces of my broken dollhouse which lean against the wall. There are beams against the surface of the wall and the dollhouse pieces fit mostly within the depth of the beams.

Now I am taking a break to eat a piece of fruit and drink some water.

The rack is clear of things I do not want on the rack, but there is still some space, so I have to decide what else I DO want on the rack and put it there.

I found two more orphan sheets to donate and an old mattress pad that is supposed to be folded up with the moving blankets on the shelf in dh shop.

SubC great plans for today!! Let us know if you need a break.

I woke up, naturally, today at 621. Actually that's the time I went into the kitchen. I am never ever up this early! I'm taking good care of myself and it is paying off!

I giggled a bit-last night when I write about leaving stuff to my brother and sister, I thought, do they know I have a sister? And I thought, Tillie probably knows. Sister is largely absent from our lives and has been since I was 14, which is essentially fine by me. She escalates things rather quickly and my mother would prefer it if she doesn't get involved in anything. She follows me on twitter so occasionally we tweet to each other but I'd rather not have much to do with her. She escalates things with lightening speed. If she does call my mother, then she immediately emails me by putting a lot of stress on me. And I'll say, you and mom need your own relationship, please don't involve me. And she'll say she understands while continuing on with her nonsense. My mother would also like the calls to stop but she is her daughter. Sister visits maybe once a year for about an hour, and then 1/2 into the visit she texts me to say she's at the end of her rope and how do I take it. And I text back, just turn on tv and watch a home decorating show and talk about what you like and what you don't like. But she won't. And she talks baby talk to mom in front of me, and about me, as though I'm the problem. So I just say, mom and I have a good time together or I enjoy mom's company. So sister is a little out there. I ignore it. But I'm happy to leave her some money. She is very poor, lives beneath the poverty line and somehow it's everyones fault but her own. She could just embrace it and enjoy it. In the past when mom's been in hospital for extended periods. sister will say, tell me what I can do, and I'll say, come see mom and give me a night off, and I send gas $ via PayPal (generally 100 which is much more than needed) and then she says she's busy, and then on twitter i see her out with her friends at a bakery, no doubt eating on my dime. But I stay silent, because to me it's only money and the fact that I fell for it is on me and not her. Crazy Town. mom sometimes says, don't call your sister. Let me die in peace.

Two loads of laundry already today!!! One more to go and need to put clean sheets on the bed.