I'm here and missing you all. Friend is in from overseas. Will catch up soon.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, I hope you are having fun with your friend.

Lila, how are you?

School went well today, but it is still wearing me out. Stayed after a bit and took care of parent emails and lesson plans for Friday - they are on the board. (My roommate doesn't mind if I leave them on that section. She uses a screen.)

I stopped at the specialty grocery for goat cheddar on the way home and all I did else was eat, chores, and run the dishwasher. I got to bed reasonably early and slept in a bit this morning as part of the sleep schedule experiment.

Today I have my eye appointment with a new doctor (my old one vanished) pay my car registration, get my shingles booster, stop at the library to return books, and cash a check at the bank. I also have class tonight, so once I leave (for my 10:30 appointment) I won't come back until after class.

Filler/fun activities may include the thrift shop, more time at the library, the used book store (have a few books to take in case I stop there), and/or a treat at Starbucks (I have a backlog of $5 teacher gift cards that will last me all year, because I did not know they had food)

Probably won't check in again until tomorrow!

Have a great day!

Well, the garden shed search was moderately successful. I have several options to consider. We also stopped by a farmer's market and bought goodies.

I think the rest of the day will be dishes, laundry, garden and pottery.

hi SubC! A lilac garden shed sounds lovely. I'm sorry one of your ducks was lost.

I am relaxing watching tv and eating snacks, getting up and working on the counter for bits at a time.

From the counter:
I sorted and consolidated all the dog meds into 3 bottles, threw out the old ones, put the good ones in a baggie.
Got a box and started putting things in the box that go in my room somewhere.
Sorted all the cherry tomatoes, threw out a few going bad, am thinking about what to make with the rest. Tomato jam? Sauce?
I put away some toys that pieces of toys that were on the counter.
Threw away some trash. Sorted mail.
Put tea in the tea drawer.

The counter/bar is coming along. It is pretty dusty so my goal is to get to the counter and wash it so it is nice. I also want to work on the kitchen table.

I ordered the shed.

After discussion with Dh and examination of the color options available to me, I actually ended up ordering white with white trim and a crayola blue metal roof. The reason I got white trim was because none of the trim colors matched the roof. The building will be fully finished for weather, and I can collect paint chips and decorate the trim/walls later. I'm thinking rainbow grandchild handprints as one option.

The alternative was to go 100% white and paint the walls and trim la ender/purple later, but I think this will be better. Less work and expense and a happier Dh.

I lost another duck. They escaped from where I had them penned. There is not much I can do about this if they are determined to die.

Dh makes a really nice salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta, and parsley.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, do you go to work today?

Bean and I are going to the apple orchard.

Still have 8 ducks.

Good morning!

Missing everyone.
Slept a bit later this morning. I've decided to try to pick up an extra hour and relax a bit on Tuesdays and Thursdays so hopefully I get less tired. I still need to work on my bed times.

Staying home day today. Much on the list. Produce and lesson plans and pottery and cleaning up.

Bean and I had a great time at the orchard yesterday, and now I have a bushel of apples to process. He wanted to make apple cookies and applesauce. Applesauce takes a long time, so we went with apple cookies. Which I invented because I didn't have a recipe. Dsil told me "you know, google is a thing." They came out pretty well.

I took him home and got down to the studio where I tidied and decluttered the alt firing cart a bit (I had permission) and prepared enough pots that I am almost caught up for my class which is half over.

How is everyone else doing?

Hello, friends. It is good at catch up with you today! SubC, grandkids really are the pinnacle of joy. I love spending time with mine, too. They do make things more clear. They are a huge motivator for me to declutter my home.

I have today off and am staying home. The grands have a cousin coming over to play. I offered to take Star but they may not take me up on it. So I am free.

My house still has all the fallout of my illness. I will work today on getting things under control. I think I am in a mindset to get rid of things (not in the bedroom, so much, but in the kitchen/dining area that is piled high) so I will take advantage of that and try to donate or toss and get to a flat surface today.

What are you all doing?

Coffee clinks! Having the morning routine thrown off kilter is difficult. Going to work!

Good morning.

Very tired today.

I slept late and am waking up slowly. I have just a hint of a headache. I pushed myself pretty hard yesterday, but I didn't throw a pot.

I did fit in yoga, a stop for a croissant, and a trash/recycling drop before school. Then I taught all day, cleaned up my desk, reset the room for my roommate, and met Dh and friends for dinner.

We had a really nice time, but got home at 8 and I still did chores, a minor attendance task, cut Dh hair, burnished three pots, and set up the coffee - which did make itself this morning.

I have class tonight, so it will be another late one. The most important/urgent thing today is to have my lesson plans ready for tomorrow.

I dreamed last night that the administration decided we should be certified as a charter school and brought in some random official to audit us. He demanded that I produce formal lesson plans and I quit.

I brought home a few random bits and pieces from my classroom last night. I'm trying to leave it just a little bit less messy every night. There is still a lot to be done.

I didn't go to class tonight. I crashed. I didn't do anything all day but watch videos and take care of the animals.

Good morning!

Coffee clinks!

I had a good day at school yesterday, but that was all I had energy for.

One of my ducks didn't come home last night. So the fox has found them.

I slept ten hours last night. Today I am just going to begin again.

I'm in a much better place now than I was in June.

My brain was very bust last night. I dreamed that my friend's son who is in prison was a little boy again, and they came to visit and he and Bean were playing and having a lovely time. And I dreamed Bean's mama was very very pregnant. My brain wants to mend my life.

One of my favorite students helped me put the table back in my room yesterday. He asked me if I would miss him next year. I told him "yes I will miss you!" And then I thought (does this have to start already? Can't I just enjoy you for a while and forget you are leaving?)

I also failed at boundaries yesterday. I swore I would never force add an extra kid to a pottery class again. And yesterday my boss came to me and asked me to add a specific girl to my junior high class (it is unfair of them to use names. If she had just said "a student" and given me the same reasons I would have said no.) so I said yes. Never say never.

I cleaned up a few more things in my classroom. Just small stuff. Part of a shelf. But trash went out. I took the trash from my house too. And I added a pair of attractive but not totally comfortable shoes to the donate pile. I have too many shoes. Right now I know I have my very comfortable everyday shoes, my workboots, crocks for the garden or a quick trip across the yard, a pair of great soft renfest boots that I can also wear for semi-dressy, black low dress boots, and a comfortable pair of white summer sandals. Everything else is on probation.

Today Dh says we can start shopping for a garden shed! I really want a garden shed. I'm going to paint it purple. Or maybe lilac. Some shade of purple. And I'm going to plant landscape around it.

Ok, off to start my day. Progress. Not perfection.

Bean is living his best life and I suspect you are living yours, SubC. Your life is amazing.

GOING TO WORK

Tatoulia,

Good job going to work!

My life is blessed.

I am still working on it. Especially the making choices and setting boundaries. Some days the mental health is a struggle, but I am lucky to have Bean. He is pure joy. And I would rather spend an hour hanging water balloons in a tree and watching him break them than a week on vacation in Paris. (I've been to Paris. It was delightful, and I am sure.) Bean helps make things very clear.

I did throw a pot last night. Now I am trying to find the energy to go throw another one. I wanted to work in the studio this morning, but the power was out. I did get the dehydrator filled with beans.

I have decided not to sign up for the free first aid and CPR training at work next week. It would be good to have a refresher course, but it is on one of my staying home days and it is a two hour round trip besides the training. I still need my staying home days.

Good choice, SubC. Keep you day at home your day at home!

Our neighbor brought me juice today. So now I'm set for quite a while. Since she inherited BF's car, she's inherited getting me heavy stuff duty. Speaking of which, I need cat little. This tiny cat uses a lot. And it's fine; she's my bud.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, do you go to work again today?

I got to bed too late last night. I'm starting to wish I had two staying home days in a row. Maybe some weekend. Not this one.

I forgot that the power went out yesterday, so the coffee didn't make itself and I am feeling out of sorts and rushed. Hopefully yoga will recenter me.

Dinner out with friends after work tonight.

My morning online time is over (eaten by coffee maker.)

Have a good day everyone!

Coffee clinks and yes it's 1PM.

I did three loads of laundry last night. One of towels one of sheets and a delicates that I hung to dry, the towels and sheets are folded and out away.

I have to go to the oar pharmacy today and I hope my script is ready. I also have to drop off old medicines in their bin. I need to take paper plates to my mom's so that she can feed her cat easily. And I have to get some cash out of the ATM. It's raining right now and I am hoping not too humid.

A friend from overseas comes on Thursday or Friday. I know she will not be happy that I haven't renovated my kitchen or had my built in built-in. But I've done some things and hopefully that will make her happy. Lack of money was in the way in the first instance and then the pandemic, etc. she's done a lot for me in terms of getting my place done and I appreciate it.

I will go make my list of things to do on paper, the way I like it, then I'll hopefully get going. Will make breakfast first.

I would love to go to goodwill for a drop off but toast time it was closed on a Sunday so I won't bother attempting that today. But I will get stuff to the car.

Hi,

I've had a migrainey weekend - mainly yesterday, really. Today so far so good but Friday I'd gone to the library and was working on this laptop and I had my new blue light glasses and things did seem better. But Saturday morning I woke up, went to look at my phone, and Bam! Instant migraine. It was a doozy for one of mine, which is still wimpier than most people get, for which I'm thankful. What it did was, it went away in the morning but returned in the afternoon. So I napped, and there was actually a bit of headache - and stiffness in my right neck, shoulder, arm, back, somewhere in that region. Then the nap messed up my nighttime sleep. But I'm recovering.

I am looking into settings on this screen - being as it's a gaming laptop I got to wondering. I'd turned it to a warmer light mode some time back, and that has helped some. But I got to Googling, and this has an OLED screen (I don't know a whole lot about what that is, I just asked what kind of display this model has). Apparently some people are bothered by them, but there is a setting to make it not flicker so much or something - sorry for the vagueness but that's because yesterday my eyes were still not up to reading the entire article I found. Hoping I can tweak this to meet my needs. I do still like the computer very much, and I stand by my decision to get a powerful one that can keep up with my brain and my switching tasks, and with the graphics stuff I hope to do. Some of these issues I'm sure are just things that a person has to have the machine for awhile to notice and learn about.

In the library, I had gotten six pages of outline for my novel (not the one I was working on the other day, a different one - this one goes back further though, and is actually further along, and I'd just thought of some structuring things I wanted to nail down for it). So Friday was a productive and satisfying day. I want to have lots of those - and NOT have migraines.

Lila, hope you continue to recover from whatever has had you down.

We are supposed to get rain in the wee morning hours here and a cool off. Today it really only got up to around 80 already. Summer is waning. The days are shorter, which is sad to me. Fall is okay as long as it doesn't feel like a person is closed in; winter is the harder time with all that. I'm going to come up with some sort of strategy though for keeping my spirits up. Some of you live further north than me, do you have any good life pro tips?

An interesting thing - I got a text from one of the church quillting ladies and now it sounds like maybe they aren't going to stop doing the quilts after all. I'll find out more on Tuesday. If it turns out they will continue, and I can make a few more out of fabric I have - according to my new method of not trying to design and assemble a huge quilt all at once but rather making blocks that some others can help put together - then that helps me make efficient decisions on fabric to keep or get rid of.

And it'll be an incentive to clean the sewing machine, which I've yet to do - this week kind of got away from me and these two upcoming will be kind of full but hopefully I can still remember to do it.

oh hi CM! Nice to see you. So sorry about your migraines and stiffness. I also think it would be so cool to read one of your novels! I live very far north and many people move here and get Seasonal Affective Disorder. I did myself many years ago. The solution is to start taking vitamin D3 NOW and continue through til spring. And, go outside and get a few minutes of sunlight on your eyelids as many days as you can. Direct sun, on your eyelids. If this is not enough, buy a Daylight Full Spectrum Lamp and sit in front of it every morning while you eat your breakfast. This is truly amazing how it increases energy and mood.

I am improving... was so unwell feeling and got not much done this weekend. Worked this morning and now am wiped out and cancelled an engagement for tonight. I am just so exhausted. I am cooking a frozen pizza and a little bit of fettucine for my dinner, and probably going to bed early so I can work tomorrow.

Tatoulia, thanks! I will take a look at the chart and instagram. I have a big business trip coming up this winter and I need to figure out clothes. If I can get on there I will tell you about it so you can give me tips also.

I prayed for Bean's mama today too SubC, and will continue. Teen needs prayers as well. They are in a not so good state of mind. They are not here right now and I hope they will get some help.

I asked Son to wash the stove and counters and take trash out, so that is done. I want to do so much more but am still recovering and need to rest for now.

Sorry to hear about your migraine, CM, and your feeling poorly, Lila. Those are all very good tips for chasing off the winter blues. I had a good lamp I used and I cannot remember why I got rid of it. But I did.

Busy day at work. I stayed home, which means I'll have to find a different day to go in. I'll have to go in Wednesday and will find another day that isn't too objectionable.

Wow, I get busy and everybody stops by!

Tatoulia, your friend is not in charge of your life.

CM, I am sorry about the migraines.

I read your computer stuff, but this is what actually filters through to my brain:

"Computer no do thing. CM can fix"
Or "computer bad. CM no fix."

I hope the quilting works out. All I have to offer on the SAD is company.

Lila, I am glad you are making progress. Keep resting.

I'm not sure what to make of your comment "They are not here right now and I hope they will get some help." Do you know where they are? Is it a place that is supposed to be helping them? Or did they just leave and also you hope they will get heltatoulia, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you to go to work.

I had a great day with Bean at the renfair yesterday (he wants to go again. I want to take him trick or treat weekend) and a really good day today. He reinacted the jousting with the playmobil people and was very excited when he found owls in the bin (we saw a live raptor show)

he informed me on arrival that today was a very good day to make biscuits and hang water balloons, so we did both of those things. He helped me feed the chickens and refill the duck pond and pick peppers and cucumbers. He must have eaten a quart of cherry tomatoes.

At the end of the day he asked when he can come back and work in the garden some more. We are both looking forward to harvesting squash and digging potatoes. And he wants to go to the apple orchard again.

House is still a mess. Took him home late and stopped at the grocery store and I'm trying to find my second wind. I'm not sure I can throw a pot tonight.

Tomorrow is a staying home day, but I want it to be lesson plan focused. And also get beans into the dehydrator. Which is probably one goal too many.

hi SubC! So nice to converse with you today! I think about you and Tatoulia and others when I can't get here. Sometimes I send up a silent prayer for you and Bean.

I feel better this morning. I have put a few items from the piles away, and will work through the rest today.

Tatoulia, thank you for the clothing offer. Do you still have a connection to my failed Instagram? I will go on there today and see if I can get it to log me in and connect with you.

Perils of de-cluttering:
While I was sick, I had such terrible stomach and back pain and I wanted to put a heat pack or hot pad on my guts. For probably 20 years, I had two of those full-of-rice hot bags in my nightstand that you heat in the microwave, and a small electric heating pad in the hall closet. Well, I cleaned out that closet and those drawers. They are not there. I was almost sure I had donated them all, except I don't remember putting them on the Daily Tally. So each day I took one minute and looked in a different place. I was too sick to search. Finally I found the rice packs in a pile in my room @@. They were a welcome relief. Still no idea on the electric one.

Anyway the whole time I was muttering to myself 'this is why I never declutter!!' There was one other thing I knew I had that is gone... can't remember what... and I was mad it was gone and I will have to buy a new one. But, I guess I need to figure out a mindset to still declutter things while being careful not to get rid of stuff I will occasionally need.

Hi Lila (and CM and Tatoulia)

That is sweet. If you think of it, include Bean's mama for me? She's having a tough time.

I'm glad you feel better.

Here is the thing - you did NOT get rid of the rice bags. Now go to a place you expected them to be, make space by clearing out something you don't need if necessary, and put them away! Tada!

Today I stripped the table from school so now it can go back to my classroom. It was a big job. I also filled the dehydrator with tomatoes.

I cleaned up the house a little. Not much. Dishes and laundry are better.

Dh made a simple, yummy dinner featuring tomatoes and kale from my garden with tofu and leftover rice.

In a few minutes I will put the extra food away and go throw a pot. Maybe more than one, but my goal is to throw a pot every day until my new class starts. More if I have time.

My fun thing tomorrow is the renfest. I plan to spend the whole day. (They open at 10:30) Dsil says he and Bean will come some time between noon and two.

Hello all! Lila! Yes I sent you a private message via Instagram. Before you make yourself crazy figuring out instagram and what went wrong there, check out Eileen Fisher and J Jill sizing charts and let me know if the XL cropped pants will fit you. If they won't, then we know what we need to know!

I had brunch out of the city with two girlfriends today. I was early which isn't like me. I stoped for gas on the way, too. We did a little antiquing together and I saved myself $10 by asking if it was taking away from my retirement and it was

You are doing great, Lila, as are you, SubC. I'll pray for your daughter tonight.

post 2, update -

I am still feeling unwell. I started to just sort the table and counter. Mainly just picking out things I could throw away or put away, then shoved the piles over as far as I could and started sorting everything into piles on the counter. Filled a grocery sack with trash. Many piles and much dist remaining.

"What is in the piles, Lila?" you ask.
- remotes
- pens
- papers to be kept
- toys and pieces of toys to be put away
- dog brushes and grooming tools
- mail for other people
- paper bags and plastic bags
- diapers (clean!) and pull ups and other baby things from when the kids were here
- extra boxes of storage bags to be put away

All sorts of other random bits. Like a pink flashlight Tot took apart, which was Teen's when they were little, and I am debating trying to fix it or just toss it. This may be a 5 minute task for Son. But all manner of things like that, that just need 'something' done to it before putting away.

I found one item to donate - it is a water-absorbing mat type thing, very cute with fall leaves, but my dog is obsessed with it and wherever it is, he tries to grab it and shake it. It is nearly new so going to a new home.

How are you all doing today?

Hi Lila!

Good to see you!

I'm sorry you are still feeling poorly. 🙁

And that your house messed itself up.

My house has also messed itself up while I was at school this week. My brain is trying to figure out how I taught all four days the last few years.

My school day went well. This is going to be a good group. My last class of the day looks particularly nice - a few of my favorite kids from years past who are independent workers, and a new one who was all sunshine yesterday.

I also figured out that I can probably stop and get breakfast at Starbucks every school day. I didn't know they had food. Kids keep giving me Starbucks cards and I just keep sticking them in an envelope. There is one right where I get on the highway, and yesterday it took me five minutes to pull in, park walk in - no line, everybody is in the drive through - order a muffin, pay, and get back on the road.

Today is a staying home day.

Thanks for getting me up, SubC!

We are under a heat advisory in Boston. So hot. I know I have to go see mom but I'll need to wait until the sun goes down.

Glad you have a nice batch of kids. My cleaners were supposed to come today. It's now 520 and I assume they are not coming. Tmr will work, too.

I've kept my windows shut and I'm wearing linen but gee it's hot.

I did not see my mother tonight. It is so hot out. I feel like a bum but I'm sure she's okay. I worry about the cat but since she solely eats wet food, even if she doesn't have any water out, she should be okay.

All of my recycling and garbage is out! And I'm quickly washing a linen dress and a linen pair of pants.

I've been hanging in there with BF being gone. When we spoke earlier, it was around 730 PM his time and he was watering the rose bushes and the trees while the sun set. He said it was meditative. He started feeding a cat and now it's his. Except, it turns out to belong to the neighbors. But they are only at their summer house on weekends and the caretaker feeds the cat during the week. The cat sleeps with him and goes on walks with him, etc. when he was visiting at the neighbors for a cup of coffee, the cat came over, sat next to him on the couch, and when BF left to go home, the cat went with him.

I made a pile of pillowcases to donate. I've been buying the embroidered ones of my childhood, so I am making a pile of ones to donate.

That's the news!

Good morning!

Tatoulia, I'm sure Mom and the kitty will be fine. (Go to work)

I feel silly saying that. Do you need to go to work every day now?

I am very tired. Got home late from class last night, six hours of sleep.

Today is my second first day. I have a high school level class that is almost entirely beginners, a D&D group with a bunch of players who know more than I do, lunch, another D&D class with mostly beginners who have never played before, and end the day with a small group pottery class made up of kids who are really good.

I am going to coast through this on adrenaline and caffeine and crash like a leaky balloon (crumple silently into a heap) when I get home.

Sign ups for the last class session of the year at the studio opened last night a really demanding instructor who I loved is returning. I signed up for his class. Because what I need during the run up to the holidays and winter sale prep is a ton of homework (sarcasm).. I'm hoping it will get me back in my groove.

I got an email from an organization I believe in and try to support (with money) begging for volunteers for tomorrow. It was very hard, but I thought of CM and I did not respond. They need two hours of help. They are far away. Two hours of helping them would cost me five hours out of the middle of my day and four gallons of gas. Actually, I would need to show up early and get trained which would drain off another volunteer, even if i caught on quickly and had no questions and it was only for fifteen minutes - 12% of the help I was providing, because I have never done this job.

I have too much to do. I want to do a fun thing on Sunday and I would have to give it up. I need to rest and keep up with my own life and do my fun things so I don't burn out again. "Now is not the time."

Hello! I have awakened.

I was so sick it was ridiculous. Last weekend I started to gradually go back to normal but felt weak - still do - and can't eat like I did before. But this Tuesday I had an event and needed to work so I overdid it and paid the price. I did work a lot from home this week and today is finally my day off (tomorrow too). I don't feel great, but I am relaxing and working slowly on things around the house that are not heavy lifting/hard cleaning.

But the state of my house, wow. My dear Son did try and keep up some. While I was sick he would run the dishwasher, unload, load... he even cleaned up after Teen, who just flat out won't. He vacuumed and took out trash and washed and folded towels. He even cooked and ordered groceries delivered! But, the counters and stove are a disaster. The kitchen table is piled with stuff and the counter/bar is so piled that things are sliding off. My bedroom is also quite piled. How it all got so piled when all I think I did was sleep, who knows.

This morning I took out trash and made myself a pancake and put a squirrel video on for my dog. I ordered some groceries last night that got delivered this morning.

So I will gradually start sorting the piles a bit. That is not hard work but if I can get rid of some things, will be productive. Son can help me with the floors which are awful.

I have not caught up on all your posts, but congrats SubC on the new little boy coming! How fun! And Tatoulia, I hope your depression lifts.

Someone is at the door.