Oh those big fluffy flakes!

I've been writing out my Thanksgiving cards while my laundry does it's thing. Going to head up to car in a few.

Mom is definitely going through changes. She's now accused me of stealing from her. Said she gave me $100 and then I didn't get her anything with it. I told her that I used it for her phone bill, which was more than $100. I need to find a way to protect myself. Because the sister will glom on to this. Luckily, she won't be able to afford an attorney to sue me. Sbd. I attorney is going to be looking for 80 here, 100 there. I will, however, start keeping track of the groceries I buy. Because I'll need that ledger at some point.

I can't believe my mother is turning into someone super mean to me. I need to find a way to deal with this. Maybe get a therapist. I can't get at the end of my rope here but I'm also very beaten down. The best for me would be a support group.

Keeps snowing off & on here today.
Sometimes a small little bit and then will turn into a blizzard of huge fluffy snowflakes.

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for getting some groceries!
70 degrees and here we are down in the teens. LOL 😀

The cats don't even ask to go out and Jack keeps begging to come in.
If he and the others didn't hate each other so much it would be a possibility.

Chandeliers would be classy.
If it doesn't hurt the budget too badly I say go for it.

I keep looking for a chandelier for my dollhouse so I can have a proper dining room.

Hope you remembered to take the bags to the car. 😉

First trip to grocery done. Will need at least one more. Got kitty food, oj, frozen shrimp and coffee. Will need to go back for more but I just put my second load of laundry in and I think I'll relax. I will get my bags out of the closet to put in my car.

I bet the snow is pretty! Will the cats make cat prints or will they try to go out and immediately turn around, blaming you for the snow?

I just finished my coffee. It's been in the 70s here. All so crazy.

I really appreciate your input, Tillie. Having a clear plan and executing it feels so good.

I'm most excited about the plumber on Tuesday. Getting that faucet changed will be excellent. Then I'll see when painter wants to do my kitchen.

I have my eye on two light fixtures/chandeliers that are available for very little at a local reuse center. If they are still there on Wednesday, I'll get both and have installed in my hallway. My hallway has three lights but I think the trick will be to ignore the one over the door and install these two where the other two canister lights are. These are at a very low price and would bring a polish to my house for very little. I may even call the place on Monday and purchase them, then pick up on Wednesday. Originally I thought I'd get one for my bedroom but I'm not sold on a chandelier in bedroom because it will be hidden from view by the ceiling fan and the ceiling fan is non negotiable. Both of my ceiling fans are the best things I've done for myself. And I feel like a grown up.

Okay off to my groceries. Need cat food and juice. Story of my life.

Woke up to a snow covered world! ☃

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
Good luck getting groceries today. 😀

Sounds like you had a good day yesterday and so sweet of your Friend to bring Mom some goodies.

Your home improvement plan sounds good.
You have been patient waiting to get these last few things done and it's now time!!!

Your museum trip sounds safer than a trip to the grocery store.
Enjoy that. 😀

Have a great day at home catching up and getting ahead on tasks.

No plans here, will just spend time looking at how pretty and clean the snow makes everything.

Good morning! Coffee clinks!

First order of business is to get some groceries. I was supposed to do with BF yesterday but ended up sitting in the car and doing a crossword.

I just made plans with a friend and her kids to go to the Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday. All timed entries now. I'll walk and meet them. Then they'll go see BF and I'll walk back. I'm nit ready to be in a car with them. I'm trying to stay safe.

So the plan in grocery shop then bags to car. I also need to organize and put away my postcards. I may also, to get ahead of it, write out my Thanksgiving cards.

Today is put music on and accomplish day.

What are you doing today?

Hello hello! Good work on cleaning, Tillie!

I met up with two friends and we walked and walked and walked, outside of the city. Lovely. Masks are now required in Massachusetts. It was a good day. Then I ran errands with BF and I saw mom in the lobby for a bit. One of my friends had baked for her.

Tillie thanks for helping me sort out my finances. I think I'm striking a good balance. I'll have my faucet fixed, then paint kitchen then paint hallway. Then hang chandelier. So I'll be going into the new year with my house spruced up. Then back to rigorous savings/ paying down my small loan.

Kitty is eating like a pig these days. I'll need to get her more food.

Good Afternoon Everybody
Just about 3:30pm here.

Over night we got a little drizzle!
Been dark overcast very windy and cold all day with a chance of more drizzle.

Will be getting down into the teens this week.
Good thing the faucet is insulated.

Cleaned up & cut up my last 5 carrots, 3 bell peppers and one tomato.
Made some vinaigrette.

Good Evening

Kitchen is all clean 😀

Just took a shower and the hot water felt so good on my back.

I have also been able to go so much longer before I feel I really need to take more aspirin or acetaminophen.

Feeling hopeful and happy.

Steven has been coughing, sneezing and snorking the last two days.

About 2:30pm here now.

I got one load of laundry washed, dried, folded & put away.
Scoured the kitchen sink and started washing dishes with lots of rests in between.
More than halfway finished and taking another rest.

The small of my back aches bad.
This must be from sitting down low, bending over to wrap the pipe.
But that nasty gnawing gut pain has NOT returned.
YEA!!! Knock on wood... 😉

The wind is raging out there now. Looks like a storm may be blowing in.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Hi Subclinical
Wishing all of you the best possible outcome with the infected Boy.
Wearing a face mask will have helped contain most
any virus he may have been shedding.
Hand washing and/or hand sanitizer would have kept down any virus transfer to surfaces.
Face masks and lots of hand sanitizer for everyone is how the hospital emergency room here has been operating and their system has been working very well. (((HUG)))

WAY TO GO! getting the minimals done yesterday!
Compost and dishes too! 😀

Hi CriticalMass
YEA!!! Fantastic!!!
Great job chipping away at the storage! 😀
Very good plan focusing on the bigger stuff and shelf arrangement.
That little stuff like cards and mementos take a long time and we get lost in memories and daydreams.

WAY TO GO! making Bunnies set up safer and easier to keep clean!
He will appreciate it. 😀

Hi Tatoulia
Happy you got to visit with Mom & Sister. ;D

Relieved to hear Boston is quiet and lets hope it stays peaceful. (((HUG)))

You did a fantastic job working to pay down your loan.
Cutting back on payment right now is alright.
You have been putting off the home fixing/decorating all this time and now it's time to get things done in there.
Plus you have used "found" money to invest in stock so you are moving in the right direction.
But fixing up your home is your reward for all your hard work decluttering and getting help cleaning and keeping the place tidy and clean.
We must always remember that we deserve these rewards and they make you happy with your home and that encourages you to keep it up. ;D

Good luck getting the insurances all paid up.

Didn't set myself back too much doing the faucet insulation yesterday.
Was able to get some sleep and woke up not too sore this morning.
YEA!
That chore really had to be done.
Today I really need to wash dishes.
I have been eating so there are lots of dishes to wash.
Laundry needs doing too.
Will do a load of sheets this morning and see how I feel.
I can set up the kitchen for dish washing, do a few, rest, then do a few more through the day.

Good morning all.

CM, just keep plugging away, the storage unit is getting better and better! Nice that the bunny will have a more secure location. Bunny lungs are sensitive to dust too, as I'm sure you know.

Tatoulia, yay for a visit with mom and kitty sister! Right now, staying in is a good thing! Keep it up!

Good to know "malt" means laptop.

Tillie, I hope you didn't overdo it.

I finished my minimal yesterday and took the compost out and managed a load of dishes. Classes were not great, but they went ok. A lot of my older kids are very stressed about the election.

Now for the bad news - my student tested positive for covid. After extensive interviewing, my boss informed me that I do not meet the cdc guidelines for exposure (he sits in the back corner of my room for one hour a week and I was not back there during his class) and can keep teaching in person. He was last in my room October 29.

We have notified the families of all students who attend classes with him and informed any we feel meet the cdc guidelines that they must stay home and get tested.

It is almost certain he was infected by his sister, and there is a good chance he was not contagious (or possibly even exposed yet) the last time he was in school.

Dh left a message for our friends - they may not come tonight.

Tillie, I'm so happy your pain has let up.

I think we need to take some of Subc's chocolate syrup and make Tatoulia a malt. 🥤 Sounds yummy. 😋 I'm guessing autocorrect took the a, l, and t from "laptop" and got a little crazy.

Went to storage in the afternoon. It was a shorter session than I'd planned. Less organized too. Found a box of greeting cards and misc. Ugh, decisions. But not today. Had to remind myself that right now we're about getting bigger items moved, not bogging down with stuff like that. Besides, later on I may be totally psyched to get through cards in record time.

The bigger things in question were the white metal shelf unit that needed to go along the wall, and any tubs or boxes of books involved in clearing a way for that to happen. It was a bit scary - I didn't realize that shelf set was so flimsy - but I got it in place, with no loss of life or limb.

The nice sturdy Metro type wire shelves are to receive books as they are put neatly into transparent, not too big, tubs. The cookware on the wire shelves will go on the flimsy white one (a lot of lightweight aluminum baking pans). There's a second, silver set of the older type of shelves that also has books.

Everything's very "fluffed" again. But I know why and that it'll get neatened up soon. I'm positive now that I will want to jettison every shelf unit that isn't super sturdy and stable, as soon as possible. It will take time but is a priority.

My roommate has bought oodles of the good wire shelves and reconfigures them periodically, so she has spare components and said there might be enough to make another unit for me. That'd be super helpful whenever we're able to do it.

Saturday I have a project for my bunny boy's cage. It sits on a shelf thing that's been sagging, and I need to be able to clean under it easier because the dust bugs roommate's allergies something fierce.

We got a sturdy plastic table to replace the shelf. I'll need to maneuver bunny and cage and stuff under and on the cage, then sweep and fix the new setup. The bunnies will probably go in the stroller for walks with roommate so I can vacuum because the vacuum is scary for the bunnies. After the deep cleaning hopefully it can be maintained with a dust mop or something.

So, keeping busy!

Hello again.

I went to visit mom tonight. One of the aides had told me I could visit. So I saw my little cat sister! And I was able to read my mother's large pile of birthday cards! Really sweet! I stayed six feet away and kept my mask in the whole time. Very relaxed visit.

I didn't get my garbage out. I will do in the AM. I am now showered and ready for bed.

I've been keeping up with dishes and mail shredding. I've been keeping up with my kitchen counters. I paid all my bills and mailed the ones I mail. I'm comfortable with my choice to pull back on repaying the small loan. I've done remarkable work on it and the pace isn't feasible if I want to keep up with my home projects.

I've done a good job on that and how lucky to make the decision. I don't want to count my chickens but I may be able to cash in two weeks of vacation time in January. That's if I don't get sick or need to take a day looking for a lost cat. I have two or three scheduled vacation days coming up. I know I'm taking a Friday and then a Monday in December. How sad there won't be the holiday sale I enjoy so much. I'm also going to miss that sweet spot of the week of Christmas and the week of new year's, where absolutely no one goes into the office. I used to get so much done!

I still haven't taken my donation bags to the car. What is wrong with me.

I have clean sheets tonight. I just didn't get them changed yesterday. I'm happy that the plumber will be here on Tuesday. He accepts cash or check. I'll give him a check since I don't want to have a lot of cash around. Then hopefully over Thanksgiving, I can have my kitchen painted.

I've been keeping up with my laundry but not in an obsessive way. It's better for me.

I had another good day at work. Spending a portion of my time in the sofa makes a difference. I'll see what my lap desk looks like tomorrow night-scheduled to be delivered to BF's.

That's the news from Boston. The city's been boarded up since the weekend but honestly I don't think there'll be protests. There was a March the other night with zero problems. Although I've largely been holed up inside, there no edgy feeling to the city.

Tillie I am so worried about you! And I can't help it!

I have scheduled a plumber for Tuesday. Very excited to get this done. I have other things I want to do but my money is tight. I paid real estate taxes on the 1st and then I just had my bathroom painted. I'm pulling back on my aggressive loan payments for now. I've made great progress but I need to make just one slightly larger payment a month, not large payments every two weeks.

I will need to dip into savings for my insurances-at least for car insurance. I can probably do umbrella and homeowners from paycheck. The payment plan isn't expensive but I don't want to do that. I think I save 50 on the car and maybe 6 or 12 or 24 on the others. No need to spend that extra money. I was able to buy my stock without savings.

Good Afternoon Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Best wishes tackling your basic minimals and school classes.

Yeah, it's getting pretty scary out in the counties now.
Hoping the deniers and anti maskers are paying attention and straightening up their act.

Be kind to yourself, no negative self talk about all you haven't gotten done around the house.
If you have the basics covered and animals tended to you are doing GREAT!! (((HUG)))

Hi Tatoulia
I read/figured "malt" as just one of those random words we all sometimes get.

Yes pain is terribly exhausting and kills your spirit and you just want to die to escape it.

Enjoy your warm spell.
Give Tigger a lovin from me.

Please just keep doing whatever you can to stay healthy.
Those daredevils are a danger to everybody so stay far away from them all.
I am not even tempted to visit a drive up restaurant let alone sit in one.

Good luck with the plumber.

Beautiful warm day today.
Wanted to have the cats outside but Jack came and I had to toss him out of my house and toss Twinks & Scooter back in.

Wrapped the outside faucet with insulation today.
Had to kneel and then sit & bend down low, positions I could not do for months.
Then I rolled up and stored away the hoses.
I am a little bit sore but plan to rest and not do anything else today.
Hopefully I won't be punished.
I do not recommend the pain & agony diet for weight loss.
You can easily feel every bone in my body but I have lost all muscle tone.

God only know what malt is. SubC! I'd brought my lap top over to the couch. I got a lot done yesterday as a result.

SubC I am sending you lots of good thoughts that your teaching goes well today! You are a great teacher and you have a magical way with your students!

Tillie, I am grateful for your pain relief. My mother talks about how exhausting it is to be in pain. Such a toll on the body and mind.

CM I am so impressed! You are doing great! Wow! You are my hero!

I am going to get dressed soon. I haven't left my house since Tuesday around noon. That isn't good. I've started to change my sheets and do other stuff here. Once I'm dressed I may run up to visit with BF. Warm spell is heading here.

Covid cases here are absolutely ramping up. Governor has issued new suggestions and regulations. This isn't pretty. I'm 100% happy to follow the rules including a curfew of 10 PM. Restaurants etc have to close at 9:30. Other stuff like that. Some of the ideas seem arbitrary but I'm not one to quibble. It's just too dangerous out there. I do not want to get sick. I'm shocked that people are eating inside at restaurants.

Need to nail down the plumbing appt. I had no idea how costly this would be to get my faucet changed.

Tillie, I'm glad you are feeling better.

CM, way to go in the storage area! I am really proud of you!

Tatoulia, I can't figure out what your "malt" is, but I'm glad you have found a cozy work area. I think a lot of us are tired right now.

I am having trouble even with minimal pupa. Everything is out of control, the dishes are piled up and the compost is filling extra containers, but I just can't. I am just trying to step back and rest this morning. I slept badly and forgot to set my alarm. Fortunately it is a late school day for me.

My goals are to succeed at my three classes this afternoon and my three classes tomorrow and minimum required chores. Anything else is icing.

Dh has invited friends over to eat outside tomorrow evening because the weather is supposed to be nice.

One of my students is quarantining because his sister (who does not go to our school) has covid. I last taught him a week before yesterday, but I also teach some of his classmates and friends. His parents had him tested and are waiting for results. So far all the kids who have been out have tested negative. (Except one who had a fever and wouldn't get tested and has been out for 3 weeks because we wouldn't let her come back- she should be back today)

The 7 day average for cases in my county is 78, and the county where I teach is over 200, but both come out around 33/100,000. Our state testing rate is climbing at about a 30 degree angle, our new cases at about 45, and our hospitalizations at about 60. Not a good sign.

Good Evening Everybody

WAY TO GO!!! FANTASTIC! CriticalMass 😀
You are really getting to it there!
WOOHOO! for all the donating too!
You have spent a lot of time mentally working through your plan and now it's all coming together like a 2500 piece jigsaw puzzle.

Hi Tatoulia
So relieved Tigger is doing well.
Silly little boy 🐱‍👤

WTG! for PUPA!
Little things like that help keep things from becoming a big thing.

A lap desk should be good.
Sitting on the couch with a throw and out of the draft.
Bet you will like it and keep it.

You may be tired because of the time change.
It's just an hour difference but feels like jet lag.

Knock on wood...
Finally that nasty pain has stopped.
Just a general discomfort in the lower abdomen now and an achy back.
Did nothing all day, took a short nap, ate.
Feeling more hopeful right now and got a bit more sleep last night.

Progress in storage for today:

Worked with some books, and it's becoming easier to get through the unit to the back. Finding boxes I haven't seen much less done anything with since I transferred to this unit three years ago. Now I know what's in several of them, and have also been able to scoot them back to clear the floor in those spots.

Still in the shifting around stage so there might be things that get set back in the path "momentarily," but they quickly get shifted again so it's not just spinning my wheels - stuff gets pulled out and like put with like (very satisfying), or gone (also satisfying).

Books got so separated back when, and it's great to bring all the ones on a certain topic or by a certain author together. Found more than I expected to let go of, too, also crafting magazines. I'd thinned them but still have a few doll and art ones with the occasional pattern I want. So I'll shoot a copy (might be a PDF if it's just instructions, thus even less paper). Then bye bye magazines!

All this over the last couple of days resulted in about 6 cubic feet at least of stuff transported to the thrift shop this afternoon.

Big goal for now is to get to where I can move the remaining bookshelves to along the walls rather than sticking out as they have been. Then keep sorting and thinning books, and after that go through fabric and do the thing I've had in mind this year, namely cutting larger fabric pieces down and donating the extra.

Cookware and family memorabilia are the other big categories, then it'll just be smaller miscellaneous categories after that.

Weather should hold through the week. I wore shorts today! 😁 Then possibly rainy Monday, and dipping down a lot chillier Tuesday and Wednesday. But that's when my roommate will be in the hospital so I'll maybe bring some small sorting home to do.

So much to catch up on! WTG everyone!

Cm you are doing FANTASTIC! Wow! I had the Turkey candle too. Long gone. I do have a really nice Turkey candle that I've enjoyed for the last 15 years. I love it when I own something that I still truly love. And it's small.

SubC the vinegar sounds nice! Tillie I too would need a small cup of vinegar-I love the taste and I don't drink at all! I am sorry you are hurting so much. I'm so sorry.

I have gotten a lot more done today than I have recently. I brought my malt over to my couch and I was very comfortable. So I have purchased a lap desk to try out for the winter. Once it gets cold and it's so drafty by. my desk. We shall see. Very inexpensive and it can go in closet when I'm not using it. If I don't love it, I can only imagine how many people would enjoy finding it at Goodwill!

Tigger continues to do well now that he's home. I'd love to post some pictures but a nosy colleague has started following me on that account and I'm so upset about it. The have a different, private Instagram that she hasn't located. But she just joined my public one that I built for us here. I'll have to get over it and start posting again.

I've been practicing a bit of PUPA! Every time I leave a room I pick something up to deal with. I put it right where it goes. I don't let it spend time in way station.

I'm so tired. What in the world is wrong with me.

In just this last week the number of positive virus cases has risen...

Last week there were 22 positive test results with nobody in the hospital.

Today there are currently 104 positive cases and 2 people hospitalized.

These figures reflect only the people who have bothered to get tested.
When people don't feel too sickly they tend to just stay in bed and not bother going in to be tested.
The asymptomatic people don't seem to be getting tested at all unless required to by their jobs.
Not many employers are requesting non sick people get tested, just quarantine 2 weeks if a family member is testing positive.

I have enough cat food and my food to stick it out at home for two weeks.
I won't have fresh produce but I will be safer.
Plus the charity food bank would deliver me a box if I asked, a last resort.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
WAY TO GO!!!
You did a wonderful job at storage!
Working on decorations may not have made a huge difference but you were very motivated to sort through them and were able to accomplish a LOT.

Hi Subclinical
Yes, we all must count out blessings and keep our expectations low this year.
Focus mainly on what is right at hand in our homes.

WAY TO GO! working your way through all those tomatoes! 😀

Slept badly last night.
Nasty nauseating nagging little pain in my lower left corner.
Been sleeping off & on all day but the phone kept ringing with nobody answering on the other end.
I have been trying to wish my pain onto those ugly phone trolls. 👿

Goid job CM!

I'm sorry about your turkey, but candles aren't meant to last forever.

Tillie, that is funny about the vinegar.

The chickens completely scattered the entire raised bed. I raked it back and pushed in whatever cloves I could find - they were originally in neat rows separated into two kinds as a trial, but now I am just going with "hopefully there will be some garlic."

This whole year has been an exercise in adjusting my expectations.

My hope for the election is simply that no one gets shot today. And the pessimist in me thinks that may be overly optimistic.

Meanwhile, I will be canning tomato sauce this morning and going into school to teach this afternoon even though every county we serve fails to meet our reopening guidelines.

The sun is out.
I have safe running water, a roof that doesn't leak, electricity, a healthy family...

Right now I just need to think about the tomato sauce.

I went to storage today, it was a nice day. 🌞

Was going to do a bunch of book sorting, and did in fact do some. But got sidetracked onto holiday decorations downsizing most of the time. However, that was something I'd had in mind also, so it's all good.

This is about the third or fourth time I've downsized holiday items. The first was after my dad died when I combined some stuff of my parents, and chose which of the same item to keep, like Christmas tree, star for the tree, ornaments, etc. The extras went in the estate sale. And in my move to this storage unit from the other one I'd gotten rid of quite a bit.

Remember the Gurley candles? I had thought there was a Thanksgiving turkey one. Sure enough, found him today; he'd been in the box with other Thanksgiving stuff. With the unit not being climate controlled, Mr. Turkey had apparently melted in the summers and now resembles roadkill. Poor guy. At least he didn't melt to the point of getting wax stains on other items. Guess he won't go to the thrift store at any rate.

So anyway, I feel like I got the decorations to a point that is pretty minimalist. I'm pleased. Simple, small, compact things for each holiday. Keeping my 4 foot Christmas tree (it's boxed) for my own place, unless it isn't feasible to store at some point. If that becomes an issue I'll let it go, but no need to fret now. And the Nativity set my dad and I made.

The bunny club has been having live streams for fundraising and education. They did a Halloween one this weekend. A few of the decorations I pulled out may work for them for various upcoming holidays.

Getting the decorations dealt with didn't make a dramatic dent in the space, but it did open a bit of a path to an area by the books and family memorabilia, which are goal areas to work on soon. A decent day's work methinks.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Happy you put out a few Autumn decorations! 😀

Even though things are all different and isolating
we must all do little things to keep our lives as they were before.
If we decorated, we must do at lest a little holiday/seasonal decorating.
More important now than ever before to continue our traditions even if we scale them down.

Hope your vinegar turns out extra tasty.
When I used to visit the wineries in Napa/Sonoma I would always taste the vinegar and buy a gallon.
They knew I don't drink alcohol but served me vinegar in a tiny wine glass.
One perk of living in the bay area.
The Jelly Belly jelly bean factory was also there and had wonderful special deals on jelly beans.
Four pound bag of assorted jelly beans for two dollars.

Bad Chickens! hope they did not ruin the bulbs and they they can recover and multiply. 🙁

WAY TO GO! working through all those tomatoes!
Sounds like you will have enough to last a while.

I would be eating lots of your icecream and chocolate sauce too.

So happy for your Friend. Wishing her all the best life has to offer. (((HUG)))

I really hate people coming into my house. It really upsets me and rubs me the wrong way.
Don't mind my friends coming in, just other stranger people.
But they did see my little garden oasis area all neat & tidy.

Hi CriticalMass
During these last 30 years I have honestly crossed every T and dotted every I and left no avenue unexplored.
Thanks anyway 🙂

Good luck making plans for Roommates surgery & recovery.
The animals will be fine, you did good with them the other times.

Hoping you do get away once in a while to get into storage.
Just like with your room, little bit by little bit does make an improvement.
Even if you can't see it right away.
Plus small shorter times working at storage keeps it from seeming like a huge overwhelming chore.
WTG! for doing small PUPA in your bedroom! 😀
"Pick Up Put Away = PUPA"

Happy belated Halloween 🎃

Again it's just been harder to squeeze in time to post. Doing okay though. Not liking the time change but trying not to think about it.

My roommate will feel better because before, she always had to leave for work when it was still dark and return after dark, with a half hour for lunch and no windows in her office. And she was more stressed and sleep deprived then, and having to commute across town.

Tillie, I don't know if this will be any help or not, but I was thinking about your situation re retirement and health benefits. There's this website I found helpful when filing my disability claim. It's called Nolo. They have lots of detailed articles on legal stuff and they explain it all in plain English but with good specific detail. Do you know about it?

SubC, I am in awe at how much you coordinate with the farm and preserving along with your job. Hope the work at home in the gardens and kitchen helps you discharge some of the nervous energy that goes with these crazy times.

Tatoulia, hoping Tigger is recovering fine from his little "adventure" and content to stay indoors. And that all goes well with your projects. Maybe you'll have that chandelier up by Christmas or sooner!

Tomorrow, and other nice days this week, I hope to do a little in my storage unit. I've picked up a few things here and there around my bedroom too, not enough to notice a visible difference yet, but still I know that things are getting put more back where they belong. Like shoes off the floor and into the shoe organizer, Bobby pins in their box, all sorts of miscellaneous. Satisfying.

Soon it'll be getting to be time to figure out the plan for my roommate's hospital stay a week from Tuesday, what all I'll need to remember to do for the animals, etc.

Tillie, I'm glad that Steven may have a "Badger" of his own now. Without you having to try and be the Badger, and getting yelled at for your trouble! Whatever can help is welcome, I'm sure.

Tillie cross post. Sorry you are sore, but I'm glad you have your cozy bedding. Hopefully it won't be too bad tomorrow.

Maybe next time invite Steven's friends into the house.

Good evening.

I put out a few Halloween things. Mostly scarecrows and pumpkins that can stay up through thanksgiving, but also a favorite bowl, a ghost candle, and my favorite framed picture from the first Halloween I had all 3 kids.

Tillie, I can imagine yours.

I filtered my vinegar today - three half gallon jars of cores and water gave me three scant quarts of vinegar. It still has to ferment a lot more, so it will shrink somewhat, but I put it in trays this time.

My teacher friend who moved away to live with her daughter sent me a picture of her playing in the backyard with her granddaughter. She looks so happy and relaxed, I cried. I miss her but she has worked so hard all her life and had so much hardship. I am so happy for her!

This morning I had three 28 quart bins filled with various stages of tomatoes. I sorted through two of them. Now I have one sorted out bin, one not sorted out bin, two quarts of perfect ones in the freezer for later, and 8.5 quarts of tomatoes cut up to make sauce tomorrow. The rest were bad and went to the chickens, but it was not a whole 17 quarts, because cut up tomatoes take up a lot less room than whole tomatoes - they are no longer roundish and surrounded by air.

I hope to also sort out the other bin tomorrow because I don't want my scullery to smell like rotten tomatoes.

My adolescent chickens broke into the garden and destroyed my garlic bed, and I want to start laundry but can't (I am going to have to learn a new rhythm) but I have ice cream mix ready to freeze again tomorrow (Dh keeps eating all my ice cream!) But that is ok. I'm glad he likes it. And not really all - I am eating some and managing to stash one in three in the chest freezer for the future. But he does eat a lot of ice cream!

DD's BFF got a job in Boston and is leaving nyc.

My body says it's an hour past my bedtime. Goodnight all!

Hello

Earlier today I managed to get out my Winter blanket and jacket and other stuff.
Also stowed away some freshly washed Summer weight things.
This stuff is all stored in 8 plastic & lidded bins in one half of the closet in Steven's bedroom.
Means I need to move a heap away from the folding door to get access, pull out my bins and get them into the dining area.
There I can open them and put stuff in and take stuff out.
Been so sore ever since but I really needed my stuff.

Tomorrow I will shampoo my hair and totally remake my bed with the warmer Winter bedding.
Then some day this week I will wash my light weight blankets and put then in their bin and put that bin back in the closet.

Have my punkin light again tonight 🎃