Hi, short drive by . . . I'm a tad sidelined by allergies/sinus that started Sunday. Finished up kitty sitting Tuesday. Had hoped to plunge immediately into decluttering projects bu have had to rest instead. Hoping this bout doesn't turn super nasty like last year's. Everyone in these parts seems to be hacking and suffering.

While I've been taking it easy, I've been reading a book I found at the library, Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub. She writes with humor and optimism. Really details her mental processes and history regarding "stuff."

I will write more when I've had a chance to catch up both with my life and your posts more in depth.

Always rooting for you all!

.....well, im now stuck on how to contain the tarps and their billions of tiny tarplettes that will be born all across my yard to the trash area & will continue breeding everywhere.....(breathes into paper bag...) No plan is feasible. I have no truck. Id have to cut them all up into plastic trash bags to fit. Those little pieces of tarp plastic are so horrid....i dont know what to do....i cant believe id,forgotten about that?!! I worked so hard removing the blue tarp pieces....ok, sometimes when something pushes over the edge it causes a better change, so i will pick up the new tarplettes AND a bunch of other disgusting junk at the same time...yes, that will be good! I still have to contain it all, tho? 🙁

~Ice Coffee Clinks to all!!!~ 😀
Tillie, YEA!!! Good for you to stand up for yourself about crazy city driving while being yelled at!!! Im glad he respected your wishes, too! ;D
SubC, i totally understand your 'freaking out over the new kitchen' ha ha I am so much like that, too! Im sure a lot of why ive been able to appreciate my place more lately is because of the 'threat of my new home' pending. Suddenly, i see so many quaint things im sad to leave, and all kinds of advantages to this trash heap trailer over anything new.
Yesterday i noticed some of those horrific 'tarplette' pieces on the ground under my trailer's 'fringe jacket' and remembered the nightmare of trying to clean up those little pieces of tarp plastic! AAAACK?!! So, today i am removing what is left of the tarp & picking up all the pieces of it from the ground before it gets worse!
Also yesterday i vacuumed a little more than half of the house, which is the spiderwebs, etc., too, & whatever i can clean with my Shopvac without it sucking down physical items! YEA!!!
My feet are sore from too much barefooting at once, but i am loving my soft, fluffy dirt paths!!! Ive even made one area really wide so i can drag my feet through the soft soil JUST LIKE AT THE BEACH!!! 😀 😀 😀

Tatoulia
(((((HUGS)))))

I also have the throbbing headache, Tillie. Sending you much love and some peace.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂
Tea "clink!" toast.

Hi Subclinical 🙂
How's the kitchen coming along?
Getting used to it?
Fridge magnets sometimes seem to reproduce rather quickly. 😉

Hi Tess 🙂
Hope you are feeling better today.
Did you scrub the bathroom?
I have found that throwing myself into a project helps reduce whatever stress I'm experiencing, mostly by just tiring myself out.

Have a throbbing sick headache today.
Hoping the aspirin and tea will help.
The weather here has been wonderful. Cold over night but high 60s/low 70s throughout the day.
Monday & Tuesday I got caught up on the housework.
Today it's mostly just the daily cat stuff to do.
Don't need to go into town for anything and that makes me very happy. 🙂

Hoping you all are alright and doing well. (((HUGS)))

Hi all -
I hope everybody is staying cool. Where is the fall weather???

Life has gotten in the way of my little project, but now I'm back at it. Some repair men might be coming in soon, so now I have to kick it into high gear. I'm sick to my stomach by the idea. My nerves are so bad I just want to curl up in bed and sleep. It doesn't help that I wasn't feeling 100 percent before. I'm going to try to hold down some soup and take a nap after work. It might help soothe my nerves. Any other suggestions are welcome 🙂

Today I think I'm going to focus on cleaning the bathroom. I need to give it a good top to bottom scrub.

Tatoulia, how are you doing?

Tillie, I'm glad you stood up for yourself!

My counter is in! Also dh hooked the water back up and wired the cooktop, and we moved the fridge. The kitchen is now usable!

All I did today was wash one load of laundry and hide from counter people and recover room counter people.

They were two very nice, quiet young men. It should not be so hard.

I might get rid of some fridge magnets.

Good Evening Everyone 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Thank you.
Just like you, I would rather do stuff outside any day over inside stuff. 🙂
WAY TO GO! clearing barefoot paths.
I do that too. ;D

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Feel better soon (((HUGS)))
WAY TO GO! recovering the chair!
I like "silly thinks" too 😉

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Change is hard but it's also good.
Soon you will be used to working in your new kitchen.
All those other little difficulties will work themselves out and you will have that wonderful space to cook in. 😀

The weather here today has been wonderful. Right now at 5:00pm it's 72 degrees.
Slept in until 10:00am this morning then very slowly started cleaning the house.
Stuff still needs doing but I am feeling better about having removed the filth.
Tomorrow is soon enough to dust and do laundry and clean the kitchen.
Had to do a lot of thinking since Friday and his mean, nasty, abusive behavior.
It was totally uncalled for.
He knew he had crossed a line and has been trying to be pleasant and sociable ever since I called him out on it.
I want nothing to do with him.
By Sunday I finally took the time to speak to him and said
"find someone else to drive you to your appointments". He said "OK".
I am feeling so much better now.
He did ask me if I wanted to go out to lunch and I said "NO".
Fortunately for him, he has been staying out of my way.

I'm going to misappropriate Silly Thinks.

Hope everyone is okay. I was very ill with nausea and headache last night. Very weak today. Trying to stay hydrated. Going to have BF drop off some gingerale.

Suddenly I am freaking out about the new kitchen.

I am thinking of so many things that are going to be a problem - we don't have a microwave for it yet - the old microwave is built into the wall of the old kitchen and I cook dh an egg in the microwave egg poacher every morning. Where will I put the cookie jar?.....

Silly things. (I accidentally typed "silly thinks"!)

We built this space for the way we want to live, not the way we were living. So now, everything changes.

Tillie, you are quiet, are you ok?

I'm excited for your new kitchen, SubC! And your breakfast nook sounds delightful.

Keep up the good work, everyone! I just re-covered one of the dining table chairs. Much too hot to do a second one. Very very warm here.

Hi Joan!

Tatoulia, your bay window sounds lovely! That is sort of the effect I was going for with my breakfast nook.. It has windows on three sides and opens into the great room. The chairs away from the window and part of the table are actually in the great room, but it is a 50" round table.

Good for you on the clothes!

I am catching up on my laundry, and up to 21 days on my kitchen challenge. Tonight should be 22. I get my new kitchen counters tomorrow and then as soon as dh installs the cooktop, we are moving the fridge and I can cook in the new kitchen. Which one will I clean then? - lol! The new one will be easier because it is not an entry into the house, so it won't be a dumping ground, and the dishwasher is staying in the "mud room" so dirty dishes will go there.

I really should choose the new one, because the point is to have a clean welcoming space in which to pack lunch and make breakfast. The compost will be in the new space also.

Anony, your description is funny.

The idea of raking paths speaks to my soul! I want to go do that now.

Thank you everyone for your support--with your help, I am getting through this!

Tillie it is in the 80s here today--you can have it if you'll send me a blast of cool air!

Spent the day with mom, getting her some wool skirts, getting her groceries, taking her to see brother, etc. I'm a little worn out but I did run one of my own errands--returning a pair of winter boots I'd ordered on line and that are too tight.

Keep up the good work--Anony--I love your sense of humor over the tarp! And yay on vacuuming!

I'm going to put a movie on Netflix and relax for a while. BF is working right now, just stopped by to see him on way back from parking car. He is a good person, Anony, and there is that good person out there for you. The important thing is to be happy with yourself--it has kept me from compromising but let me assure you, I did plenty of compromising n the past. It's wonderful to be over that! my crankiness these past few days aside, I do value my alone time.

Much love to all and thank you again for helping me. PS I did get a bag of clothes together for goodwill but decided to return my boots today instead. But I've kept with the challenge and will move the bag to the car this week.

~Greetings to all!~
Joan, i thought of you this morning after reading something on the internet by a government whistleblower....wow?! There is so much going on that is quite frightening....my only way to offset it is through getting back to natural living & lots of visualization & grounding(barefoot) & sending light to the pineal gland! I hear you about judging ourselves about our homes. That is one of my biggest challenges!
Tillie, the weather where you are is crazy?!! Im glad you made it back ok! Driving in freeway rush hour is one of the scariest things i ever have to do! Good for you to take the reins & get home in the right direction!
Tatoulia, you are such an amazing & wonderful person! You do so much & are so nurturing & so wise! Please dont beat yourself up? And im still staying very sure of wanting a relationship like yours...i think about it a lot & i dont want anything less! Ill never do that needy, controlling, possessive guy thing again!!! Ive gotten so much clearer on that because of you! Thank you! 😀
My trailer looks like its wearing a fringe jacket with the tattered tarp...ha ha As far as a vacuuming update; the wind has been too strong to change the bag outside, until today, so im going to do that & hopefully vacuum today!
Ive been clearing weeds & raking barefoot paths! ....i know the inside is what needs work, tho...its almost like working outside is a reward for having worked on the inside some.......some of these words were suppose to type in at the bottom are really hard to see the whole word...?!?
~♡~Happy endeavours to you all!~♡~

Good Morning Everybody 🙂
Glad to read you are all hanging in there and still doing things that make your home lives a little better.

SubC and Joan, thank you for your support. Joan I know how hard it is for you to post and am delighted that you read the posts! I value your guidance. SubC, thank you for your loving and thoughtful suggestions. I do need to be good to myself.

I changed my sheets last night, did two loads of laundry, showered and replaced the fabric in the seat of my desk chair. It looks really nice. It is the fabric that my designer friend picked out for my desk chair (great grandmother's) and my two dining room chairs. My "dining room" is actually a bay window with an arch and columns. I can fit two armless-chairs and one chair with arms in the space. My table has hidden leaves, so when I do holiday dinners, I pull the table out into the middle if the room, extend it and reconfigure my furniture into the bay window. At Christmas I put the gifts in the bay and before I had the kitty I used to put a Christmas tree in there. I think I'll be getting rid of the chair with arms. I had two but gave one away and I think I'll give away or consign the other one. I'll have to give this some thought. I'll see what my designer says, as I will need chairs if I'm going to be having dinners here again. with mom in a wheelchair she won't be able to come here again, which is a shame because I know she'd love to see the changes going on.

I am doing better so far today, with your help and support. Thank you so much. You are good friends.

Tat, don't worry, I don't feel snubbed. People cannot always remember me when I don't post. I go through long periods when it is just too difficult for me to post, or sometimes even keep up with reading postings.

Did you have a big upset over something? It sounds like you are having a crisis of some kind.

I am OK. Had to bring the car in for work this week, so had my hands full. Everyone keep up the good work! There are so many challenges in life. Cultivating a nonjudgmental attitude is one of the best investments we can make. It begins at home, with no judgement towards ourselves. When I get closer to seeing what is going on in a nonjudgmental way, the issues clarify and often self-resolve.

Wishing everyone the best.

Tatoulia, when I have times like that, I have to remind myself that I am sick. That just because what is going on in my body doesn't respond to antibiotics and is mostly in my nervous system and chemical balance instead of my digestive system or sinuses, doesn't mean I am not sick.

Sometimes I will cancel things and tell people I am sick and if they ask what kind if sick, I say "the kind where you can't leave the house and you don't want to discuss the details." Which is true but they always assume I have a digestive problem.

You have been doing amazingly well lately. When you have a big sustained effort like the drapes and the rug! It is not unusual to crash afterwards.

Treat yourself gently. If you had a severe case of the flu, you would not expect yourself to keep up with your life. Is the kitty fed? Are you hydrated? Bathing regularly might also make you feel better, but if it doesn't it's ok to spend a couple days in the same pajamas. Really.

If you are doing better than that then give yourself credit, ok?

All I did for solstice this year was light candles and put out an apple for the deer. Because that was all I had energy for. And that is ok. You have to do the best you can where you are and remember to treat yourself the way you would treat the people you love.

Thinking about everyon else and the bunnies and the astonishingly variable weather!

My dear Joan--I just wanted to send you my regards! Did not mean to leave you out of my last post. I am struggling with frustration, self/loathing and a bunch of other negative stuff and I would never snub you!

I am working through this. It's just very hard. I'm trying to eat better and get physical activity and stay hydrated etc etc and still I'm just so upset. ThAnk you all for your kind words and thoughts and please forgive me for being so negative. I'm struggling.

Hello everyone! Great to read your posts and glad that everyone's on the mend (SubC & Bunny!) and that everyone else is well (Tillie, Tess, Anony, CM). I am hanging on by a thread. Will write more later.

Good Afternoon Everyone 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
The bunny will definitely appreciate all your efforts to make it easier for her to get around.
Have you tried gentle massage for her? It really helps animals just as much as it helps humans.
P.S. sent some of your heat this way and I will send some of my cold your way.
Then we both will have perfect weather. 😉

Slept very well last night and wanted to sleep in past 6:00am but I was so cold & shivering that I finally gave up and got up.
28 degrees is freakin cold! :O
Got a lot of little things finally accomplished around here that I had been wanting to get to.
Got out my wool blanket and a fiber filled comforter for the bed too.
Supposed to warm up back into the 80s later this week.
I sure do hope we get Autumn weather for 3 months before we get the Winter stuff.

Hope you are all doing well (((HUGS)))

Well, we had a lovely crisp cool first day of autumn here - NOT! Still in the mid 90s and sticky as Anony's honey.

But it could be a lot worse, could be in Texas, Florida, Mexico, or Puerto Rico. Feel terrible for those folks. 🙁

Lots of good posts again I want to reply to but it's late and the heat has sapped my energy so I'll make a more detailed post later. I did get my quilt corner squares all cut to size without butchering any of them. Tomorrow I hope to sew.

Counting the days till the cool front arrives and we should see a 20 degree drop at least. Then it will feel like fall. The squirrels are madly dashing around, and unfortunately quite a few of them have met an untimely demise on the streets. Sad to see; I like the little critters.

Bunnies are holding their own. "Granddaughter" bunny looks improved but we're going to have to engineer some handicap accessibility for her with the gimpy leg. Hoping we can help her regain better function in it, but at least for the short term she needs to be able to get around without hazards or strain. My "daughter" bunny's feet continue to improve.

Good night for now! (Still sleeping on the couch and having better sleep.)

Hello Everybody 🙂
I'm Back!

Hi Tess 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!! for making your OWN coffee! 😀
I allow myself a Starbucks chai about once every five years, whenever I'm in the city and decide to splurge.
Great that you're changing decluttering from a chore into self care.
It really is the best way to make sure you are taking care of yourself.
We'll talk about that shopping to relax later.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Good luck with your new plan to clean up the honey.
Don't let backsliding get you down, just accept it happened and carry on. (((HUGS)))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Glad you are feeling better. 😀
I actually saw a 4 legged chick somewhere on Youtube. LOL
Rest well tonight (((HUGS)))

Got home a bit before 3:00.
It's 50 degrees outside and was 62 degrees inside.
It was snowing on all the mountains and higher foothills and raining down here.
Steven is the WORST back seat driver and had me driving in circles in horrible traffic for an hour.
Finally I stopped and told him to stop flipping around and yelling out orders to me.
Then I went ahead with my plan and got right back on the right highway headed in the right direction for home.
He actually admitted I was right all along.
I want to smack him but I am not a violent person.
Got home and got out a heater, it's now 67 in here.
Made myself a fried egg sandwich.
Now maybe I can relax. 😀

Tillie, waiting to hear how you are!

Tess, your changes sound delightful. Someday I am going to have a built in bookshelf with a window seat on one wall of the guest bedroom. My dd drew it for me for my birthday a few years ago (she has an architecture degree).

Same Dd used to talk to herself as different people: "oh my gosh, I need my swim stuff and I am in such a hurry - hey! It's all packed! Thanks past me!" Or "Ok, all the ski stuff is clean and folded and put away. You're welcome future me."

So I think looking at taking care of your home as something you are doing for yourself is brilliant.

Anony, I hope you get your billboard tarp! I have a friend who used to put up billboards and they would let him keep the ones he took down sometimes. He built a tent shed for his pig out of them. It worked great and lasted for years. They were mostly beer and whiskey adds, so he joked that the pig thought it lived in a bar.

I am feeling much better. The cooking class sent me homemade humus this afternoon and I ate it with only a few moments of uncertainty. It was drenched in garlic too. So if I'm actually ill the garlic should help!

Then I had a piece of pizza (homemade, my goat cheese) for dinner. I'm still very tired, but I expect to get my feet under me tomorrow.

The chickens were a big hit at school. We talked about how they hatch and what they eat and weighed the chicks and worked on our observation skills, and I only had one student draw a chicken with four legs.

~Happy Hello to all!~
Tillie, i hope you are safely back home by now? Im so sorry he sprung that on you like that?! It seems like i remember a while back, you saying you ended up getting more anxious & stressed out in anticipation of trips when you knew ahead of time? Is it possible he did it that way so you didnt spend days worrying? If not then itd seem deliberate on his part...either way, im so sorry?!
Tatoulia, i hope the sleep has restored you back to your strong self again?!
Tess, coffee at home with a nice cozy ready corner sounds like a fantastic addition! YEA!
SubC, i hope youre feeling better by now? Often, the cleaner our diets get, the less we can tolerate unhealthy foods. Im so amazed at how much you already do, PLUS this new challenge?! Good job!
CM, are you familiar with (food grade)diatomatous earth for fleas? Its not toxic like most flea powders & its cheap. It can also be used internally for parasites & many other health issues!
Well, i worked on the honey mess yesterday. Honey is not like any other substance on the planet! Im gonna try a new plan today.
The tarp is now just shading most of the side with the inside of the wall exposed. Im gonna leave it until the sun starts easing up in strength for the fall. The part exposed is not geared for UV rays. Its the black garbage bag type plastic filled with insulation that is what is showing outside now, just to be clearer about that. Im sorry to have made it sound worse than it is. Im gonna go ahead & get a better tarp made for billboards!
I have backslid in things here & i definitely feel worse because of it....but, the little bit that i regain helps me feel a lot better! ~♡~

Hi all!

I haven't posted in a couple days, but I've been moving forward.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm easily overwhelmed. Between my job (stressful!), family issues (ugh!), everything happening in the world and my mess, sometimes all I can do is come home and veg. I do a lot of "self-care" in the form of spa treatments, shopping trips (yikes!), and drinks with my girls. It just hasn't been cutting it lately. Starting this cleaning project again had made me feel better than I've felt in a long time. So, I've decided to approach it as self-care rather than chores.

I hoard books. Reading is my #1 hobby and always relaxes me. In the name of self care, I created a little reading corner for myself. I cleared a corner, bought a new bookshelf and added a chair. My ultimate goal is to turn my spare room into a library, but this will do for now. Progress, not perfection.

My morning coffee is also important to me. I have been rushing to Starbucks or the corner store every morning. That meant getting dressed and interacting with people BEFORE coffee! It's also expensive. I like to have my coffee in peace and solitude before my day starts. So, I bought a new coffee pot and created a coffee station. I'm currently drinking my coffee in my reading corner. Happy day!

After work, I plan to do some work in my bedroom. My goal is to clear all clutter from the view of the bed. I want the bedroom to be serene. I'm hoping this will help me sleep better.

Tillie - drive safe today! I'm sure you and his stupid eyes will be fine. Lol! Seriously, stay safe

Subclinicam - I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Take it easy for a couple days

Tatoulia - 14 lbs is amazing! Congrats! How did you do it? Now that I'm back to cooking at home, I hope I see a few pounds melt away

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Hope you feel better soon (((HUGS)))
You are still doing good on your challenge!
It gets hard at times when "life" keeps getting in your way. 😉

Well, I am up and getting ready to leave soon.
Drinking my tea "CLINK!"
Need to make sure the cats have what they need.
Shut and lock all the windows.
Make sure everything is turned off.
Wish me luck and if I don't post again it's because some idiot crashed into the car and killed me.
It will probably be some drunk driver because I never drink alcohol and there are lots of drunks driving in Nevada.
Sorry to be so negative (((HUGS)))

I think I might be sick. I get sick very rarely, so I'm not sure yet. It has been a very stressful week at work. My neck has been stiff from the tension since Wednesday night and this led into a mild headache. Last night I was completely exhausted. This morning my digestive system is doubtful.

But, dh cooked dinner last night and I realized afterwards that he grilled the fennel in "his" cast iron pan. I don't clean "his" pan because he complains that I scrub all the seasoning off. He uses it to cook meat. I don't eat meat. A few years ago I accidentally ate four potato chips cooked in lard and they did the same thing to my digestive system. So.... maybe animal fat?

I have to go to work today. There is no sub plan for my lessons. I'm bringing the chickens. (If it gets really bad I can get someone else to cover once the chickens are there.)

Tillie, I'm sorry Steven expects you to drive. And how rude to wake you up! Those drops wear off after a few hours. Maybe he could just sit in the parking lot.

CM, I'm sorry it is so hot, and I hope the bunny gets better! It's exciting that you found your quilt fabric though.

Tatoulia, how are you today?

I am calling last night the 20th day of my challenge, even though I forgot to take the compost out and there were half a dozen things waiting for the next dishwasher load. The compost was all fresh. Also, dh plopped his lunch box down on the counter after I started the dishwasher.

I am still throwing away feed bags.

Hello Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
A bag a week is a good goal.
It's not too overwhelming and keeps you moving toward your goal. 🙂
WTG! for that impressive weight loss! (((hugs)))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Your pantry challenge is a great idea!
Just make sure to post your successes here.

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
Give the bunny and kitty a gentle hug for me.
YEA! for finding the perfect fabric for your quilt! 😀

warning, rant ahead...
Last evening Steven woke me up to inform me that I would have to drive to Reno Friday because he has an appointment and the Dr. "may" dilate his stupid eyes.
He has known about this appt. for a long time but waited to tell me.
Anyways, I slept badly last night and spent almost all day today napping off and on.
I'm exhausted and extremely depressed and nervous.
I will be in fine form for a long highway drive topped off with crazy insane bumper to bumper rush hour freeway traffic. >:O