Tatoulia I am glad you are feeling better.

I started chapter 17 of our story ;)
Everyone please go post there.

Hi I tried to start a new thread but I did it wrong so I asked Cory to delete it. Maybe someone else could start our Phase 17?


I am feeling better and able to work today. Big snow here. Too cold for me to go out, which is funny since I generally love the snow.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, how are you feeling?

CM, do we need to start a new thread?

Road, I'm sorry about your furnace. Who takes dance class? What kind of dance?

I cleaned the lettuce off the shelf yesterday, but the bag is still in the scullery sink. I did not address anything else that is in that fridge. I left the eggs on the counter overnight too. Dh says I have too many things in my life.

My pottery class got postponed because of rain (we were going to do a pit firing outside) and the next session starts Tuesday, so I will have two late nights next week.

I am so unprepared for school that I don't even know what animal I am going to talk about today. Tomorrow I have an all day teacher workshop, and Sunday I plan to make cheese and maybe ice cream. And maybe catch up on school stuff!

I read an article about taking a mental health day, and people talked about what they did. Done of them said catch up on things like housework and paperwork and I wanted to scream at them "that is not a mental health day! That's getting back to treading water instead of drowning!" Some people talked about hikes and museums and other ice things, but the only one that appealed to me was the one who said "stay in bed all day and do nothing at all." That is something I can't imagine ever getting to do - no one would feed my goats.

In 12 hours, no matter what, the school week will be over. I'm picking Dh up in the way home because he has to have work done on his car. We're going to stop for pizza inside the pizza place.

I have three students out that I know of today.

Ok, I have to come up with some lesson plans and do my chores..

Hi every body,

Busy day today... our furnace went out and had a lunch date w bff... then went home to meet the furnace guy, then pick up my son, go to my bro's to escape the cold, then home, then dance class... finally getting him to bed now. Whew. And all the news watching in between. Yikes.

Sub c, lettuce is tricky. You get too much at once and it doesn't freeZe... don't feel bad.

Tatoulia, feel better!!! Sleep and tea.

Back soon if I can swing it. My puppy keeps taking out my posts....

I'm glad you enjoyed my post, Road. I don't know what caused it to ignore my paragraph breaks and turn it into a Wall of Text... 😬 I typed that on my laptop but I've done that many a time without that happening. 🤷‍♀️ I've noticed a few weeks ago that I have to find this thread by going into the main page and then following the menu. URLs I've tried to link directly to the page no longer work. Don't know if the two issues are related.

Mulvane is pretty close to me, although I don't know anyone there. I may join the Wichita genealogical society one of these days. Also need to catch up on my Ancestry.com doings.

Feel better, Tatoulia!

May the Force be with you in the Battle of the Green Lettuce Slime, SubC.

Hi Lila, keep on keeping on.

I'm praying for Ukraine 🇺🇦

Woke up sick today. Bad stomach and very cold. Went to one meeting, rescheduled the rest, canceled the cleaners and will go back to bed after my tea.

Good morning. I had another "my life is spinning out of control and I'm overwhelmed and failing everywhere" evening last night.

I had a long talk with my cousin about our jobs (she's a guidance counselor) and all the issues we're seeing with kids. No answers, but I feel less alone.

She also feels like some of the other people she works with must just have more hours in their days.

Dh is going back to the office 2-3 days a week starting in March. (Which is next week!) he went in today to get reacclimated.

I have a confession - we have a small kitchen fridge. I have an extra fridge downstairs for eggs, milk, and veggies. I picked all the lettuce right before the frost in the fall and stuck it in that fridge. We did not eat all the lettuce, and two bags turned to green slime. Now the chickens are laying and the goats are in milk and I have no more room for milk or eggs. So this morning, my big challenge is to clean the green slime out of the fridge. And try to not kick myself for wasting lettuce.

Hey cm, glad you were chatty. now I know you better! ☺️ Good analysis on the digital books situation. my cousin used to be a editor for elsevier. She's a language arts teacher now though and happy with that. Ive been in Kansas archives (virtual) a bit lately researching some genealogy stuff. mulvane and other towns.

Well, had an interesting experience today. My big triggering ptsd topics are my sons school and Medical stuff. I had a call with school about plans for next year. Very pleasant person and she wasn't even against me in any way but I somehow got to talking about some past negative events. (I'm very negative if you had t noticed - lol. ) no, I wasn't bad on the phone - I think I wrapped it up ok and on a good note. It afterwards I was shaky and all discombobulated. It took about an hour to feel like I was pulling back together again. Even now I feel a little sick like post- adrenaline or whatever. It's weird what the central nervous system does. Or the amygdala or whatever! Blehhh I just need to barf!

I'm glad you ladies enjoyed the literary and musical topic! Winter is a good time for it, the whole cozying up with a good book thing. I'm in a mood to blather on a bit more about matters literary and musical, etc. I'm just in a really rambly mood, perhaps from being cooped up indoors. So I hope you don't mind! Enjoyed my Beethoven with Leonard Bernstein conducting. He was a brilliant man of many talents, and a philanthropist to boot. Now that I've got it in mind, I'm sure I can find some more videos of his performances. My ex-boyfriend and I used to get free symphony tickets at the university. I haven't been to a local orchestral performance in so many years, just music theater a time or two recently and a few years ago we did get to see a Russian ballet. Tatoulia, you are fortunate to have people to look forward to going to the symphony with. And I'm glad you got the online library card! You'll have much to delve into with it. Kansas has something like that, too, and I need to get one. Another thing I keep meaning to do is get public borrower privileges at the three colleges here - WSU my alma mater, Friends University (Quaker), and Newman U (Catholic - you may not be able to kick me out of there, LOL! I may end up with a free DIY Masters in Theology 😁). My college buddy is a memoir author - Nancy McCabe, who runs the creative writing program at a couple of universities. You might enjoy some of her work: https://creativenonfiction.org/people/nancy-mccabe/ We were thick as thieves in our undergrad days and although we're not in touch a lot, sometimes she comes through here for a reading and I get to see her, and of course there's Facebook. She shared the Sylvia Plath obsession with me - not that uncommon in female English major undergrads. Believe it or not, we were actually batting around the idea at one time of traveling to Indiana U and Smith College to do research in their Plath collections. Then life happened, as it tends to do, and we each ended up with other interests and projects. I find it so fascinating now that the internet and associated tech make things so easy to do that were so laborious with frequent dead ends when we were in college. Since I'm such a nerd with so many special interests, these days I'm like a kid in a candy store. Now if we could only get rid of paywalls on some of the science articles I want to download... curse you, Elsevier! 🤬 My tablet is pretty good as far as the screen to read from - I know there are certain apps to make blue light less of a problem, although I haven't had time to go through them. My roommate uses some that make the page a sickly orange color that I just can't stand 🤢 but maybe there are better ones available. On Archive.org the books are simply scanned from existing hard copies, some of them pretty vintage. They are not bright to begin with. But readable. I even have things like catalogs of house plans - I adore house plans. Those are PDFs. The library books have to be "borrowed" and can't be saved, at least I haven't figured out a way yet unless I was to screenshot each page. There's one Shirley Jackson humorous book for new mothers that I remember either my mom or someone had and I read as a teenager - really cute and funny book, called Special Delivery. It's quaint and dated, people probably didn't hang onto them, so now used copies are rare and expensive. I don't really want a physical copy anyway, but I am always insecure about rare books that they might disappear. That's my FOMO. But Tatoulia, that's really encouraging that you were able to get rid of so many of your books that you were sentimental about at one time. I remember well that urge to possess really nice copies of any books that interested me at all, classics, reference books, and on and on. This transition phase made possible by technology is exciting and life transforming - because it means I'll still be able to indulge my insatiable intellect and quirky interests, but without all the CUBIC FEET of books! One thing I won't do, though, and that's buy ebooks that are in a proprietary format and that are still really owned by whatever outfit puts them out and you can lose access to them or they can be altered in format. I prefer to own a book outright and be done with it. And if it's free so much the better, which 99.99% of mine are. Lots of them are public domain. But some people don't mind the proprietary stuff, to each her own I suppose. At the end of the day, I just know one thing for certain - I'll never run out of reading material! 📚📚📚📒📕📓📗📘📙 😂🤣😂 Have a great day, ladies!

Good morning... toxic Diet Coke can clinks:::

Subc, another hilarious paragraph about politics. I probably wouldn't last a day...

I have also been missing the symphony and opera even though I hardly ever went! The pandumbic has made me realize what I cherish in this life and You can boil it down to la bohème! I played some for my son when he was taking his bath last night and he howled with laughter. Might've not quite matched his mood at that point... my parents were musicians and teachers and my dad always played classical piano music in the house when we were growing up so there's not much I wouldn't recognize by ear but couldn't name most of it.

Also a book lover. (Book hoarder)... my collections haven't really been enjoyed though as they've been stuck in boxes in storage units, basements and garages. I have no trouble ditching books when they get wet, damp, moldy... and honestly could probably get rid of some entire categories at this point when I can focus enough to get there, something a Buddhist friend told me 20 years ago Always stuck with me... about how you can always find a book when you need it and you should let go of books you're not using because someone else may need that book now... Sadly, her sage advice did not prevent me from continuing to hoard books. I guess a few years ago I bought a smattering of homesteading/gardening books, and the last few years it's probably all been needlework... a cubic foot or two of $5/free shipping eBay purchases... I have a small collection of vintage books and vintage children's... only a few that are Of moderate value at best. I only have one super valuable item I've collected and that's an impressionist painting by a famous Australian painter, but I haven't been able to find an auction house willing to take a chance on it since it's an unknown work of his. I found it in a miniature frame I bought at a thrift store. Some artist friends weighed in and I researched it and figured out the most likely story of how it came to be here... would be happy to sell it if someone will take the time to authenticate it... but for now I've kind of given up on it... blah blah blah

I do like e-readers for being able to control the contrast, The font, and highlight and notate like a crazy person. I love literature but find what I get sucked into most easily are 27 page Atlantic articles about some obscure topic in the middle of the night,,, hathi trust is another one that has an incredible library of rare antique books you can read online. Jane eyre is probably the book I've read the most times, love the Jane austens of course, and have enjoyed a smattering of Tolstoy. That's the one I'm most blown away by when I read... although kudos must go to the translator in that case... tatoulia, the sackler bros. Story is horrifying... you might like the new series "inventing Anna" (Netflix?) the two main characters are so annoying it's a little hard to get through the first couple episodes but it gets better and builds and unfolds in an interesting way. Also about graft- but graft based more in deep seated psychological delusion as opposed to greed I think...

Alright better go and get after it. I think today the weeks laundry and the boys cast off clothing will get the boot from my room... also have several boxes of Christmas stuff still in the dining room...

Coffee clinks!

Road, thank you for explaining about the garbage. Makes sense now. I hope you found your socks.

Politics are very important here. And church. My politics are wrong and I don't go to church, so I don't meet people and they often can't figure me out when I do. I used to volunteer at the food bank and the first question people would ask was "what church are you with?" Most of them couldn't understand why I would just come on my own, and jumped straight to wondering what I got assigned community service for or if I was on welfare but being embarrassed to ask. It took three weeks for the lady in charge to stop asking if I needed my paperwork signed.

Good job on your drawers!

Tatoulia, I hope you can go to the symphony again soon.

I like throws. And books. Especially beautifully illustrated children's books. I like to turn pages. And in nonfiction I stick little bits of paper in to mark things. My dad has become visually impaired and his e-reader changed his life! He used to love to read, and then he couldn't - the large print books were cumbersome and the print was still too difficult. Now he can adjust the lighting and size to be perfect. It makes him really happy.

I took the big bag of garbage from the barn to the dumpster yesterday, so I will try to stop thinking about it now. I also did all my habits. I am not making much progress, but being able to look at the pages with my habits checked off helps me feel like I am not completely losing my way. Even if I am not decluttering, I am holding the line on laundry, recycling and garbage, eggs, and the scullery sink. I am doing yoga and taking my vitamins and working on eating better. Those things will pay off.

CM you just changed my life! I signed up for an e-library card and can now access the e-books, for free, at the Boston public library!

Cm I too enjoy classical music and have been lamenting the fact that I haven't been to symphony since February 2020. I live a short distance from Symphony Hall and enjoy going to symphony with boyfriend and alone. On the nights I go alone, he sends an employee to meet me at the Hall and walk me home, which is so sweet.

I got a kindle in August 2009. I loved that kindle. It holds all the books! Santa brought me a new one for Christmas because my first kindle, being 3G, stopped being able to have new books added as of October 2021. I love my new one, too, and carry it with me when I'm running errands. Sometimes with BF I stay in the car and read. Sometimes I read for 20 minutes then join him wherever he is.

The kindle made it possible to get rid of 20 boxes of books initially and then probably another 15 boxes since then. Enormously freeing. I bought hardcovers, nearly exclusively, and had many signed by the authors. I've been brutal in getting rid of the books. The hardest were books I bought in the early 1990s when I was breaking up with one man and starting a romance with another. I was working full time as a secretary and going to grad school at night. And some of those books would bring me back to that thin, beautiful, productive and angst filled time. But, I let them go. It was time.

I used to read a lot of fiction. I also enjoy a memoir. I like seeing how people live through things. Ive been on a strictly non fiction tear for several years now. I enjoy corporate fraud and scams. I just finished Empire of Pain (about the Sackler bros and how the opioid crisis can be traced to three people) and now I'm reading about Enron. I know the Enron story well ( and used to watch the hearings and have even made my own timeline that rivaled the NYTimes) so reading this book is like visiting with an old friend.

I highly, highly recommend an e-reader. I do have the kindle app on my iPad but it's not the same experience. The "ink" on the kindle paper white is very much like reading from a book. Plus the iPad is heavy. Kindle is adorable and light. My new one is even lighter than my old one and functionality very easy. So that's my review. Holds all the books in the world. So yes, consider an e-reader! I haven't used any free sites I buy from Amazon but most libraries have ebooks too! So a lot of free resources.

Another round of frigid weather (-13 wind chill this morning), though with much less precipitation, thankfully. Decided to skip the church quilting session, I can do extra some day when it's warmer! Am still in jammies and robe. Made chicken and noodles for lunch. 😋

I did a little more on my quilt, I'm just rough cutting the pieces approximate size then will trim the edges at a time when I can spread out, at the church or the fabric store studio night, etc. I think only one more fabric left to cut some long strips from, and after trimming all, time to begin sewing!

Roommate's got another work meeting in the living room. I'm in my room with my headphones. Slow mellow relaxation music isn't cutting it, I'm going to switch to Beethoven - the Emperor Concerto specifically, haven't listened to that one in awhile. 🎶

I've been feeling literary too. In the last few months I've been getting up to date on my college obsession, Sylvia Plath biography and poems. Also short stories by Shirley Jackson that I hadn't read before, her children have released newer collections of unpublished ones, and her letters. In between all this, some sci-fi and nonfiction. Jumping around as I like to do with books.

What do you all like to read? And since this is a decluttering discussion on occasion, have you begun to switch over to electronic media for reading? My roommate has been doing ebooks for years. But she has better concentration than I do. However, I'm getting better at it. There are so many free sources, public domain stuff, so the price is right too. Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Baen for sci-fi, and more.

Not that I plan to chuck all my dead tree books. But I'm feeling eager to offload a bunch more of whatever is still in my possession but equally if not more available online. For instance, some years back I was into the Tuscany vibe and bought a coffee table book with pictures. Well, nowadays one can readily find images and guides for anyplace in the world, also YouTube videos. Someone else can enjoy my book about Tuscany. Or flower arranging. Etc. Lots of my past interests, and it feels freeing to know that if one let's go of a physical book, one needn't feel like it would be difficult to find what was in that book.

So, Beethoven, and dreams of warmer weather. Coffee or tea or whatever clinks!

Wow Road, you are doing a lot! Hip hip hooray for clean sheets! I love clean sheets on my bed. Even at my worst with stuff strewed around and everything dirty, I had clean sheets once a week. You are doing a lot! Keep up the good work!

Good to know that you will be less stressed with your son's things as you clean up your things. I am terribly worried regarding what the doctor suggested. Please tell us what you need for support. Your son is a sweet soul.

I just put in a load with my winter fleece bathrobe and the throw for my couch. It's getting warm enough that I can put away and bring out a lighter throw. I don't like the look of throws on a couch but they are so comfy. If I spread it next to me, kitty will fall asleep on it. And then in the evening I enjoy pulling it over me. But I'm ready to banish the thick wintry one for something lighter.

Hi Tatoulia, cheers clink clink::::

Walks and adequate sleep sound like very worthwhile pursuits!

Alright just checking in on my modest goals for today... cleared off the bed, changed the sheets, cleaned off the nightstand and cleared out and washed the drawer. Repaired the nightstand drawer which means I bashed all the loose nails back in using an Advil bottle... Also cleaned out the undie and sock drawers. Dumped the drawer liner and washed out the undies drawer... Folded and put away the laundry. Confused cause the pile seemed twice as big yesterday so not sure if it all hit the floor and I swept it up into the laundry not realizing or what... I'm finding a lot of my sons clothing in here again so that isn't helping. Not sure why he does these things... it's easier to be patient about it when my own stuff is somewhat under control In here...

Zthats it for now. Everyone have a super day.

Xoxo

Coffee clinks!

Now that I don't eat after 7:30 PM, I am sleeping much, much better. I still eat after 7:30 if my friend is coming for dinner but otherwise I have completely switched up the eating habits. No more cooking at 9 or even 10. It's making such a difference in how I feel physically. I've been doing this for two weeks and it is amazing.

I did one load of laundry last night consisting of last week's sheets and it made me happy for two reasons: one, it was stressing me that they weren't washed and two, I had more laundry to do but wanted to give myself a break. I'll see if the washer is available later today.

I'm glad I walked yesterday. I feel better today. The sunshine is helping.

Sub c, funny about the politics. I am surprised you aren't more social in real life since you seem so social here but I totally get these are two very different things. Don't feel bad about the garbage - you inspire me with how you operate now. you have to keep in mind how much better than typical-American you are now and that should buy you some "garbage grace" for past "garbage sins..." if you will... Speaking of garbage, what I needed to sort was what I swept out from under the bed. It was socks mixed with tissues and I needed to pull out my socks. Also sometimes I drop pills and I need to grab those out or I will be short. And you know, dropped earrings or whatever... my awful terrible floor garbage is gone - this is just what's snuck under the bed while I was in my January Covid haze...

Alright I'm off to fall out my daily worksheet and get my head adjusted. Smooches to all,

It only took me 35 minutes to milk the uncooperative goat this morning. I am fine tuning the harness restraint system. The only body part that hurts more than when I woke up is my right wrist.

One of my "habits" for this year is to take some time by myself every day for reflection to help me keep my focus - taking stock of the day, noting what went well and badly, making note of goals or intentions. I started it December 31 and have only missed one day - when Bean's family was here in the snowstorm. (Y'all are probably thinking - yup, if I were spending 35 minutes wrestling a critter who hurt me every day I'd rethink my life!)

Anyway, this morning I was examining the putting away the clean laundry habit (everybody says "no, subc, the goat! Rethink the goat!) The habits are supposed to serve me, not me serve the habits. And the point of the clean laundry habit is to avoid baskets of clean laundry sitting around, tripping people, getting in the way of doing things, getting wrinkled and being slept on by the cat. But the result was that I was putting off doing laundry and staying up trying to get it put away in the evening when I was tired. And knowing it was waiting before I went to bed made me more tired. And I got discouraged when I would put away two baskets and then deny myself credit because I left the last load in the dryer.

It doesn't hurt anything if the clean laundry sits in a basket or even the dryer in the laundry room overnight. The cat doesn't go in there (it's not so much a room as a narrow hallway).

So the new process is that I get an x in my box if there is clean laundry and at some point during the day I put some of it away. I get a dot if there is no clean laundry. So the "missed days" (empty boxes) will only be days when there was something to do and I didn't even try.

I am also going to put dots on the days I don't do yoga because I wasn't planning to do yoga.

Good morning everyone...

Checking in after kicking the guys out of the house (aka taking my son to school) and feeding The doggies. Had a big hailstorm this am. 10 houses away they only got rain. Kinda weird. Hoping that's it - otherwise we may flood this afternoon.

Today I am still aiming to clean up my room a bit. Ye olde "reset." My other to-dos are totally overwhelming me right now so I will keep my head down but try to keep moving forward...

Good morning!

Lila, if you were my neighbor, I would probably never meet you.

Dh has met and talked to the neighbors on both sides of us randomly during the early pandemic when he was working in the woods near our property lines. He also knows the guy who shares part of our back line because our sons were in scouts together. I do not know any of these people. We have lived here for 19 years.

There was one guy across the street who used to come over here uninvited a lot to talk to me. He is older and was lonely. He stopped speaking to me when he found out who I voted for in 2016. If I had known it was that easy, I would have brought up politics sooner. I can also point out the house down the street where the grandparents of another scout live. Assuming they still do - it's been ten years since scouts. I haven't seen a for sale sign, but around here that doesn't mean the house didn't change hands.

It would help you exercise though - my closest neighbor is a quarter mile round trip.

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to clean your plastic.

Road, I'm glad the mri was good. It's very hard when our kids can't fully communicate what is going on with them and we want to help! With medical stuff I know it is extra worrying.

Can I ask how you have garbage you have to sort through? I pull recycling out of ours (Dh is untrainable because he doesn't care) but this sounds different.

School day today and dropping off a feed bag of garbage from working in the barn and outside this weekend. I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of garbage, and angry at myself for letting things get so dirty and broken that I have to give up and send them to the landfill. Past subc made a lot of bad choices. I try to remember that she was doing the best she could.

Hi all,

Great to see your names again and hear what's going on... today all I really did cleaning wise was I swept... oh dear. Just realized I left a pile of garbage in the hall that I needed to go through and now it's gone, I wonder if my husband noticed there were socks in there,,, well anyway, I swept out under my bed. There were tissues I had to ditch back there to keep my puppy from getting them. Other than that, there were just socks and some stitching stuff that fell off the edge of the bed.

I did focus on that genealogy research today. The obit did end up giving me a good clue that helped me find 2 census records I was missing. I was able to find the right township and county and then I just went page by page through the census and finally found them. I guess you could call that type of research Work good old fashioned "elbow grease"... Helbert was spelled Hilburt in one and Halbert in another. There was some other weirdness also which is why it never came up in the searches. So that was exciting (for me - lol). Tonight I ran my son around to activities. He had fun and I got out of the house so that was good.

He did see the neurologist last week. MRI was normal. My son continues to have various troubling symptoms and school finally said they are seeing the things I've been seeing which of course was worrying. Neuro suggested he might be dealing with dementia of all things. After some moments of freaking out and panicking followed by actual thinking, I think he's probably wrong and he shouldn't have suggested it. We will have to research other ways of testing him. Not sure what that looks like but ... EEG is finally scheduled for next week.

Cm, I hear you on the quilting fabric! Lila, I think coming here earlier in the day was defn helpful to me as well. Tomorrow I will work on cleaning my room... laundry needs folding, and nightstand and floor need some boundaries refresh,

Hello everyone! Good to hear from you all!

I'd also like to clarify something I said earlier, after giving it more thought. It really is okay to backslide a bit. It's normal. Every new habit we build also has backsliding. Eating healthy, until that one dessert, going to gym three times a week except that one week. Backsliding is part of the process. So after giving it some thought, I've been able to put de hoarding into a better context for myself.

I'm doing laundry right now, to make me happy and less anxious. I have to clean kitty's box and get the trash out. I do love these long weekends. So restful.

I would be so tempted to take those neighbor's things, I must say. It's funny, no?, that she puts them out in the driveway for everyone to see?

I am reclaiming the habit I had before that was helping me, which is, coming here in the morning while I have my cup of coffee, catching up and getting motivated, and thinking about what I will do today. After that I would just get up and DO something so I would have something to come back and report later. That was helping me. So here I am.

Tatoulia, what a very good thing to consider. When no doing, am I "undoing"? or just resting? So far I am not undoing, but I will watch for that and also it takes some of the guilt off to think hey, I am not undoing the good, not acquiring or taking things out of donate boxes, so I am ok to rest a bit. But not too long!

CM, you're right about lacking executive functioning skills. In fact, it has been nagging me a bit that I have two children with autism, and they have two different fathers. I always just assumed my ex was the one who passed on some autism gene (I don't think our cases are from environmental factors - and I have 3 non-affected kids), because ex had a lot of issues and was mentally ill/abusive. But having a second autistc child with a different husband gave me pause. Maybe it came from me? There is no autism on my kids' dad's families, none on my mother's side, no traits at all. But my Dad, well, he might have been on the spectrum. Looking back there are signs. And maybe his dad. Me and my dad were only children. Maybe I have some traits too. I do, actually. I always thought it was upbringing. But I really lack those executive functions like my autistic kids do, and I struggle with social interactions and don't "get" other people's relationships. I tend to be a loner. Lots of people like me and think I am cool/nice/awesome, but also very few people engage me on a deeper level. I dunno, food for thought.

hi SubC, I wish you were my neighbor. We could sit outside and have coffee together and then do a little in each other's yards. Take turns making donation and dump runs. It would be nice to have someone in person who gets it and doesn't judge. But, I am glad to know you and our other friends here on this board!

My goals for today:
necessary phone calls
find my notes and prep for a presentation I have to give at a meeting tonight (ugh)

hmmm... what will I declutter or clean? I already unloaded and loaded the dishwasher.

- figure out how to whiten stained plastic and do it (tips welcome). I have plastic cutting boards and a plastic stool that are white and very stained and just washing them has not worked.

- trim dog's nails
- brush dog and use the blower on him outside to remove more of his shedding hair

- do something to improve the cluttery areas of the living room and/or my bedroom, maybe the clutter counter which has re-cluttered itself.

One good thing: my kitchen table is still clear!

Interesting thought - I have a friend who has been decluttering this year too. She is well off and has a LOT of really nice, expensive items she is donating. She piles them in her driveway and then loads them up to take to a donation place in another town. She has had friends see things in her driveway, really nice things, and ask if they can have them. It makes her really upset. She told me why. She said "I want to get rid of them. I want them gone... I don't want to see them at someone else's house or see someone else wearing the clothes I got rid of. I want them to be GONE." It really bothers her if she sees something she got rid of at a friend's house.

Heck, I've seen some really great things in her driveway that would cost a lot of money and that I could use, but I don't ask for them because I know how much it upsets her.I myself do give my things to friends. I like seeing them have joy in something I can't use anymore, and it makes me happy to bless them. But my friend can't do that, and I really had a light bulb come on with this. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to give to friends and neighbors if it makes you upset. There have been things that were emotionally charged for me to the point that I did not want to donate them. I never wanted to see them again, so they went in the trash.

I think we have to honor our feelings so this taught me something new.

Good morning!

I am happy to see everybody here! It is also good to see road and CM reclaiming their creative energy! CM, I know your quilt will be beautiful!

Lila, it definitely goes like that. The body and mind need rest after a spurt of progress. I know in my case I also need to adjust to the new state of my surroundings. Even though it is better, it is unsettling because it is not "normal". It is even ok to backslide if the backsliding is a function if normal life- dishes and laundry pile up a bit during a plateau? That is ok. Amazon boxes? Sign of needing a habit change. Can you find yourself something to do that isn't eating pie? That sounds like a stress response.

It is a good time to restart a planner or goal - one month to the equinox. Can you do the thing for four weeks? (I do best in bite sized chunks, so I am always on the lookout for "new starts")

I worked outside yesterday, which means I got my solar batteries charged, but did not get my indoor stuff done. I did get the burn box burned, and I am pleased with my outdoor progress. My body is a bit sore though - it is unaccustomed to so much work.

We got email from our administration. Masks will become optional March 29 assuming: test positivity rate falls to 8% (it is at 10% now.) case numbers are level or falling (honestly so many people are testing at home or not bothering to test I think both positivity and case numbers are useless - I'm watching hospitalizations these days) there is no rise in cases in our school community (it will be one week after spring break) and no new variants appear.

Individual teachers will still be allowed to require masks in their rooms and signs will be posted outside those rooms. All other precautions will remain in place.

I am going to wear my mask in any class where a student is still wearing a mask. And in the halls.

Today is a Bean day!

Lila, it does go in fits and starts. Because it's hard, for one thing. If it was easy, we wouldn't be here! And our brains have their more or less energetic and resilient times. Plus decluttering, or resisting the clutter tendencies in the first place, takes good executive functioning skills. We tend to struggle in that area, at least I'll speak for myself.

CM! I love hearing about your quilts! What a joy to be able to quilt. I love the idea of this quilt. Please post a picture of any and all of your quilts on Instagram!

Road, I'm glad you found an interesting obituary while doing your genealogy! It must be a like a treasure hunt! Continue to take stock and see if there is something you can do. Get trash picked up? Laundry sorted? Something that future you will be grateful for!

Lila yes it comes in spurts. Spurts of being industrious and making progress alternated with more sluggish times. Some find that slow and steady wins the race. What might prove helpful is to pay attn: during your down time are you backsliding? Acquiring stuff? Deciding to keep stuff in the donate pile? If you are merely not making progress, then just rest and relax a bit. If you are undoing your good work, you might want to try a different way of working toward your goal. Just a thought. I often would need some serious down time due to the emotional and physical toll of cleaning the hoard. But I didn't backslide. I was able to keep looking forward. I'm glad you are doing the tough work of finding a therapist. I am proud of you.

Got two loads of laundry done today. My delicates, which are now hanging to dry and my towels and bathrobe, which are now put away.

I generally have three bathrobes hanging in my bathroom. I like the look of just one. So I need to put a hook in my closet so that only my white terry cloth one hangs in the bathroom. Much neater looking.

hi Road, nice to see you back. Also CM, Tatoulia, SubC.

I am glad I filled out the info to see a counselor. I feel like there is something wrong with me. I can't get motivated. I would really like to start decluttering again. I will keep focusing on the small things I do get done each day, and add more to it over time.

I stopped doing my daily goals. I had my planner all set up for it but it just fell apart.

Is it normal to go in spurts of decluttering and cleaning and then just crash and do barely anything for awhile? Maybe it is normal, but I don't like it.

I look at the piles of stuff to do and I just go get a piece of pie instead.

Super quick because my roommate is coming back from her trip and texted me she's at the last town about 20-30 miles away.

I got the pieces for the quadrants of my quilt cut out- it's inspirational blocks that form a cross, and the quadrants are Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter fabrics.

The inspirational blocks are already cut out. Then there's some fabric that'll outline the cross. Maybe a border at the edge, I'll have to measure how big.

All this fabric, I'm noticing, adds up to maybe 1/3 of a cubic foot. I'm thinking man, I've got so many cubic feet of quilt fabric, I'm going to need to make approximately 18,539 quilts! 😲

At least, that's what it seems like right now. It may be that I give away some of the fabric. Too early to tell. I already mentioned my plan to just make easy patchwork blocks quickly after this and one other in-progress quilt that are built around a BIG layout (the cross for this one, and the other one has a big central embroidered panel, plus smaller embroidered blocks around the edge - so it'll be more time consuming).

It's good to be having insights into what'll be the most efficient, and making these decisions. My creativity runs away with me and I really don't have all the time in the world. I can still have lots of fun making quicker quilts for the foreseeable.

More cold weather this coming week, don't know if any snow. If it's just cold, guess it's just something to get through but less cramping of my style, less feeling like the world grinds to a halt and takes several days to reboot. I'm just now picking up from Thursday, and the migraine I had on Wednesday, which I suspect may have been partly due to the crazy shifts in the weather, plus stress. Just glad to be feeling better. Today it was in the 60s! Enjoying it while I can. Went outside and sat on the porch awhile.

Lila! Good to hear from you and that's cute about my multiple sets of fishes! A few years back I referenced a shut-in I used to cook for (several, actually) and I mistakenly said sh§t in and after that, we'd talk about how when we leave dishes in the sink, they're merely enjoying a little Sh§t in.

Your son is growing up to be a responsible, compassionate adult. You have done a great job raising him. I'm sorry about your daughter. Changing meds and staying on meds is so difficult for many. It is the easiest thing to do and the hardest.

Good that you could have people over for dinner! And I'm thankful you are returning the Fitbit. It's not working for you, and none of us needs more things that aren't working for us. We have plenty!

SubC, the squash biscuits sound wonderful. I love that you and your grandson have so many things that you enjoy doing together! Interesting comment about Future SubC. We should all keep in mind our Tomorrow Selves. I cannot think of an example off where waiting to do a chore was a good thing. And even if I could, they'd be few and far between.

I'm sorry, I have to log off sooner than anticipated. My friend is bringing us salads. And I'll need to start the cornbread. Road, I'm glad you stopped by. Never any pressure, merely a check-in!

Ah, hello people! I finally got my head together enough to pop my head in and say hi. February is my cryptonite.

Just typing that much caused me to pan around my room and take stock of things. Not looking too good in here... but I do see some stuff I can deal with today so I will. Start there,

I'm a genealogy buff and last night in the wee hours I had an obituary pop up for someone very significant. I couldn't believe my eyes. I've never seen it come up before. It's packed with info so even though it seems to align with everything I already know, I need to take an hour or so to really put it under the microscope and see what else I can pull from it. It sounds so boring when I type it out but for someone like me this is actually a big event. (I have a slightly deranged excited expression on my face btw) so I'm going to dive into that right now and then I will fold some laundry.

Hope to be back later with more,

P.s. tatoulia, thanks for checking on me earlier in the week and sorry to everyone for being out of the loop. I was slogging through some swampy sludgy foggy dearth o quicksand.

Actually, goats are a good reason TO exercise. They tend to require sudden bouts of exertion that can hurt you if you aren't in shape. I've been thinking lately that I need to add some weight training to my yoga. My shoulders are sore from yesterday.

Cleaning the yard is good exercise.

The squash is butternut. Bean and I grew a lot of it last year. I found a biscuit recipe - they are basically sweet potato biscuits with squash instead. I haven't tried it yet, but Bean and I both like to snack on biscuits, so I thought this would be a good idea.

Nice job on the dog toys! It's like getting free new toys!

I ended up doing two more of my habits last night, so I just skipped putting away the laundry again. That seems to be the only one I skip twice in a row. I am still doing it enough to not have baskets collecting in other rooms though.

I can't be lazy today or future Subclinical will have a hard week.

post 2 today -

hi SubC! The goats sound like good exercise, lol. I am interested in your squash biscuits! What kind of squash?

Today was exceptionally low key with a lot of sitting around, but I got a few things done. Cleaned up the kitchen to keep it nice. Worked on converting a huge file to PDF (been on the to do list for years, actually).

I hand sewed 7 dog toys that had ripped seams but were still in good condition, rather than buying new. Now I have them put back to bring out for the dog when he is bored.

I cleaned the pup's ears.

I also forgot to mention that yesterday I went outside and cleaned up some yard debris/dead leaves. It did not take a super long time but I am proud of myself for doing it. I also put windshield washer fluid in my car.

Posted below because my battery was dying. Plugged in now.

Lila, I think you are doing really well.

Those shoes are a challenge!

I'm glad you are getting time with tot. That matters more than most things.

And nice job on the return!

Try to focus on moving and eating healthy and don't worry about your weight. I hope things turn out the way you want with the counseling.

Ok, Off to make some quick progress and then bed!

Hi Lila!

I didn't do much on the accomplishment front today. I mostly rested.

I am struggling with a first fresher and it took an hour to milk her. It took another hour to clean up the disorder she caused in the barn kicking and fighting me (disorder might be too mild a word for a mess that required work gloves and a hammer.)

I have a plan for tomorrow that will hopefully help me avoid another round of intermediate goat wrestling.

I did ok with my habits list. It is up to 9 items and I have done six today. I anticipate doing at least a seventh before I go to bed. I am becoming comfortable with the idea that it is ok if I do them regularly and not daily - at least for now.

I also did a load of laundry, started the dishwasher, and baked some squash to mash tomorrow for biscuits. And my scullery sink is empty! (That is one of the habits now.)

hi everyone,

Tatoulia, you must stay! You give us hope. A bright light in the dark tunnel of clutter. Plus, when I was reading and catching up today, after reading about chickens and animals I got to your post about having "multiple, complete sets of fishes" and it took me a few minutes of very imaginative musing over what kinds of fishes you have that are in sets, before I recognized the typo! Made me smile today!

I have really struggled. I have been emotional this week for some reason, feeling a little overwhelmed with things to get done and concerned about my health which is not great and my weight that is not going down. Yet I am trying and I need to give myself credit for what I did this week.

- Cleared the mostly-cleared table so I could invite Tot and family over for dinner last night. Made dinner and enjoyed time with my family.

- Put on one of the multiple pairs of shoes without inserts, and walked around for awhile in them. My tendon started to hurt. I took them off. I like them and wonder if they will work when I lose weight... probably will end up keeping them as they are comfortable. Will try a different pair today.

- Bought and tried a Fitbt Sense for a week to see if it would give me any good data or help me improve my health. Several of the functions don't work well, one day I sat on the couch most of the day and it told me I walked over 5 miles (I totally did not). It does not count floors accurately. The snore detect just always says error. And my wrist started hurting after wearing it a few days. So I am processing a return, which costs nothing within 45 days. It is back in the box already.

- Filled out paperwork to get in to a counselor. I said I feel like I have no motivation, maybe an eating disorder or am using food to self medicate for possibly low level depression. I hope I get in and it is helpful.

My son cleaned the kitchen for me this week because it got so out of control it was terrible. I didn't ask him to, I just came home one day and it was clean. I am so blessed to have him.

My autistic teen is being very non compliant and it is exhausting. Running to doctors and counselors and fighting insurance and doing all in my power, and then when they prescribe a new med which teen agrees to, they get up in the morning and refuse to take it because they're "too tired." I wonder sometimes why I bother.

Husband went away for a couple days so I usually declutter his crap but I am so unmotivated. But I did do one thing:

- on trash day I went into his area and found about 8 empty boxes, flattened and consolidated them along with a plastic container and put it into the trash. I know I should recycle but this is the best I could do right now.

That is my update. Today is my day off, and I am staying home and will try to get a few things done.

Getting ready to head to a friend's house. Have a great day, everyone!

Slept ten hours last night.

Today is a catch up on things I haven't done day.

I'll report back when I have a sense of progress.

I hear the weariness in your voice and in the voices of teachers everywhere, SubC.

We have Monday off, and I'm pretty happy about that. It's 5 PM and Im about to make my combined dinner and lunch. I'm hungry. I'll visit a friend tomorrow and she is making me a salad and I'm so happy! My friend Emiko is coming over Sunday evening for dinner and bringing salads for us. I'll bake cornbread to accompany.

I took my garbage out this AM. I didn't get it out last night but it was gathered and ready to go, and my little friend had a clean littler box.

So now I'll make dinner and settle in to work some more.

Good morning!

Mr. kitty just learned to hunt Bean's matchbox cars. Now the white truck is under the couch. (Yes, I know Bean is too young for matchbox cars, but he loves them and we watch him when he has them. he does not try to eat the wheels or anything like that.)

My clothes do have places to go (although my closet is a mess) it's just taking the time to get them there. Time, time, time.

I got home from class at 9:30 last night. I was cold, and tired, and hungry. My youngest called with a car problem, I finished chores at 11. I left the eggs on the counter. I got almost six hours of sleep, and I need to go milk the goat in a few minutes. I am eating poundcake for breakfast because it is easy.

I will leave for school around 8. I have to fire the kiln, so probably home around 6:30. And then I will be exhausted, eat, do chores, waste time online, go to bed, and sleep too late tomorrow.

I think I need to start the dishwasher before I leave for school.

The administration put out surveys to staff and parents about relaxing covid restrictions. 8% of the parents and 4 teachers apparently said they would quit if we get rid of masks. I ran into the boss who I had a fall conflict with in the building yesterday after school, and she asked if I was one of the teachers. I was tired, so I said no and told her what my thoughts were. I wish I had been more alert and asked "why? Are you trying to figure out if they are expendable?" What is the point of an anonymous survey if you are going to try to out everybody?

Only 50% of staff responded by the original deadline. Here is what your survey is telling you - your staff is tired, overworked, and jaded. You are standing on the titanic asking if anyone would like a glass of ice water. We are drinking whiskey on the rocks and hoping a boat shows up. I know for a fact that some of our best staff submitted class proposals for 22-23 not based on "what can I fit into my schedule this year" but on "which classes require the least prep time and what is the minimum number of hours I can work next year before the income cut significantly affects my family?"

Good that you can go to school and that husband's fever broke. I think keeping up with laundry is more important than the folding and putting away. I learned to fold and put away from Tillie. I still have days where I put on chair and let cleaning ladies fold. The thing that has been most helpful is reducing my things, so they have a place to go. So this will all come in time, SubC.

I'm glad to hear you also talk to yourself with pep talks. I tell myself, it takes exactly two minutes to empty the dishwasher each AM. That's all. Again, back when I had multiple, complete sets of fishes, I couldn't put them all away, so I'd put it off, which meant I had tons of dirty dishes in sink. Tillie got me here. The logic is airtight but I couldn't see it.

Dh fever broke and he tested negative! 😁

His immune system is complete crap, so it has been a little stressful living with him.

I can't go see Bean after school today because he has play dates this weekend and Dd doesn't want to taje even a little risk.

Dh had a headache and a fever of 102 last night.

He is going to use a home covid test this morning. If he tests negative, I get to go to school. If he tests positive I am out for at least 7 days. Right now he is sleeping.

I really hope I don't have to miss school!

CM, I also hope your roommate gets to go on her trip! It is so great that you are quilting again! And that those blocks found a better home - it's always good when we can increase the total happiness in the world.

Tatoulia, I do a lot of talking to myself about my daily habits (well, some of them aren't daily - like yesterday was not a yoga day - I don't have time) about a lot of things I am trying to do. It seems like I feel tired and unmotivated a lot. So I say things like "don't leave the eggs on the counter - this will take ten minutes. Future [Subclinical] will thank you." I do a lot of trying to take care of my future self.

Some of my habits I'm trying to be gentle with myself about - like putting away all of the clean laundry every day. I found myself reluctant to run a load because I didn't want to have to put it away that evening, and I decided that was a step backwards. So my new habit is to see how many days I can put the clean laundry away, not let it pile up, and reduce the number of days it waits. So last night, when Dh didn't feel well, I left the clean laundry in the dryer so I wouldn't bother him putting it away.

Sometimes, when I am in the barn doing chores - the bare minimum - I think, ok, this is overwhelming, but you can do one thing - put something in the trash, stack some flowerpots, clean a surface, literally take five minutes.. It is still a disaster from all the things Dh tossed in there from the garage, the goats getting loose twice, and loose chickens - who poop everywhere. But it is now a disaster with paths and space to walk safely and a clean milk stand. And I repenned most of the chickens. Maybe this weekend I will catch and restrain the last few roosters.

I think my new fence is done! The big equipment was gone when I got home last night, but it was too dark to look things over. Now it is dark and raining. I know the last thing they were going to do was hang the gates and at least one is up. Depending on the weather, I could move my boys before March! I am starting to think about spring and feel hopeful.

CM, I love hearing about your quilting! Yay for passing along some fabric to a fellow quilter. It is a very satisfying feeling to be able to do that! If you feel like it, I would love to see some of your quilting on Etsy. No pressure, only if it is convenient and fun for you.

I hope your roommate can get out of town. Will be a good break for both of you!

Can't believe we have yet another big winter storm on the way here. Thanks a lot, Colorado. Really, you could keep your snow to yourselves for the ski slopes. 😒

Seems like they tend to come on Thursdays. At least they are shorter duration. Last year in February we got a period of bitter cold that lasted many days. 🥶

So I'm complaining, but not as much, haha.

Got kind of stressed yesterday and this morning was hit with a very sudden onset migraine. Rested most of the day. Yesterday I had been deciding on fabrics from my stash for the quilt. About settled but questioning one or two whether they harmonize with the rest. May switch out for others. Then I will start cutting.

Had been going to tackle the rest of my "nest" on the sofa, as it was starting to grow back after I subdued it the other day. Maybe tomorrow.

These days are treading water kind of days. If the snow melts it looks like my roommate will still go out of town this weekend. If so, I'll get some quilt progress made because I'll be able to use the kitchen table for cutting and set up the ironing board because a few of the fabrics need a bit of pressing before being cut.

Can't remember if I put my other quilt on Instagram. I'll check. And when this one gets assembled I'll put it up too.

A cool thing happened yesterday re quilting - I mentioned to one of the gals about these preprinted blocks I had been trying to make a quilt around before but had given up on because they were crooked. Well, I had them with me and she looked at them and said she thought she had an idea - so I gave them to her! 😀 She is a confident quilter with years of experience. You all can appreciate how good that feels, to pass along something that wasn't working for me to someone who can put it to use. So freeing. Maybe I can remember to look for more ways to do that with things that are not sparking joy.

I had a friend who used to say, upon walking into a room, what one little thing can I do to improve it? I have been doing something similar for a while. When I walk out of a room, I look to see if there's something I can take out and out in its proper place. So if I'm leaving the living space for the bathroom, I check to see if there's a coffee cup I can put in the dishwasher as I pass the kitchen. I still have to think the words but I do think them automatically. I still have to think the words when I start to put something in a "way station," such as don't put those there, carry on to the linen closet. It is really helpful.

Do any of you have a little conversation with yourself to do something properly or to build a habit?

I love AA. And so I will be here! I have been thinking about this and wanted feedback. I have four of each towel size. I have three sets of sheets. I no longer have six or seven comforters for my bedroom. Etc, etc. I have rethought how to love my things. A total work in progress but it's in my mind and I feel satisfied. I no longer have the clangs and clatter and other unpleasant noises from stuff everywhere. I can love something now, or in the past, without being stuck for the rest of my life. I can look at things when shopping and say, I love that table but don't have any room for it.

I don't think I'm being hasty in feeling that I've arrived. I've been able to do this for a while.

I am here! And I'm here for you! And me! And it's still the most satisfying feeling to take my garbage and recycling out!

Cleaners came and went during my meeting. Now they are at mom's.

You must stay!

We need your support and inspiration!

You can be our sponsor (yes, I have family in AA)

Good morning! Coffee clinks!

Thank you for your support, SubC. I went from over $50k in credit card debt, a mortgage and a small personal loan of $10k to no debt, no mortgage, and a healthy savings account. From a filthy house with too much stuff to a clean, maintained living space.

I do realize that with the no spend situation, I'm not bringing anything in. I look around and there really aren't any categories of things to get rid of. There aren't even any individual items. The cleanout with my friend last summer was a complete, every drawer and every closet and every cabinet clean out. So now I'm looking around and there isn't anything left. I'm not just saying that. I have six of each flatware, four of each regular dinnerware, etc. I won't be splitting up my mother's china. I don't even have that many sentimental things. I have plenty, but Ive changed my view on what constitutes a sentimental thing. So we shall see as I settle into month two of not spending.

I figure I will have my choice of clothes by this summer by keeping up with the dieting. So that needs to be where I concentrate my efforts.

Naturally living hoard-free means I have to be vigilant. I'm now three or four years into having housecleaners. Can you believe it?

So I'll stay vigilant and I'm not giving up on looking to reduce, I am ready to acknowledge that I'm in a much better place and I'm maintaining. My mindset shifted a long time ago. I have been maintaining for longer than I realize. Yesterday at CVS they had their free beauty bag and I looked at what was in it and it all intrigued me, including the bag, and I put it back down. It was free. And with no pain and regret, I thought, I'm good.

I've considered whether I should stay on here. I am intrigued by the decluttering your waistline thread. I love you all madly.