Please forgive me, but I am probably going to be self centered for the next week or two.

School went ok yesterday.

Ds calked. His mil is insisting on going forward with her wedding at the end of the month. He and ddil will be traveling back for it. They asked if we would like to see them.

They currently only go to the grocery store masked, and use gas pumps, but they will have to stop somewhere probably twice for restrooms on the way here.

We said yes, so they will come and spend one night with us before continuing on to the wedding - where they will be exposed to far too many people and I am very stressed out about it.

5 more days of video school.

Woke up by a large earthquake an hour ago, 4:00am.

Not sleepy any more...

Sorry Subclinical
Wish they would not go, maybe things will change and they won't.

Looking forward to the new pics CriticalMass.

YEA! for buying pretty flowers! 🙂

Hope the hospital appointment gives you lots of good information.
I am still upset that I had to turn to a geologist and veterinarians to get knowledgeable information.

Cold dark and very windy here all day.
Have had to use the space heater.
Did some beading.
On episode 917 of "Dark Shadows".

Wow, everybody has dealt with radioactive thyroid treatments one way or another.

The hospital called and she has an appointment Monday for preliminary consult so that will yield helpful info.

Went to the plant nursery and I bought her plants and myself the kalanchoe and a pink geranium. I will be posting on IG these and some other backlogged flower photos. Barbie and Co. may put in an appearance too, you just never know. 😉

Tillie, now that I think of it, McConnell AFB here had missiles back in the day so we probably would've gotten nuked too. Once I was old enough to hear about Hiroshima & Nagasaki in junior high or so, well. Enough of that gloomy subject.

More later

Well, Good Morning Everybody
I love how we all come together to help each other. (((HUG)))

Hi Tatoulia
WTG! for doing the dishes!
Glad I motivated you.
YEA! for Cleaning Fairies!!!

So the mess of shredding is keeping you from wanting to shred.
"Static Guard" and a broom & dust pan might work.

Now I want a grilled cheese too. 😉

We are all getting weary and constantly worrying.
But we must hold on ((((HUGS))))

Hi Subclinical
YEA!!!!! for getting that barn rat!!!
Mr. Kitty & company better step it up.

Hoping the students all make an appearance during these last few classes.
((((HUGS))))

Hi CriticalMass
I remember too well the bombing drills they made us practice back in the 1960s.
Then we spoke with other kid's Dad's who worked at the airbase where the Titan missiles are located and discovered we would not survive anyways because we were a main target and could not ever get far enough away to survive.
We told the school and they quit the drills. LOL 😀

I keep the windows open always now and appreciate the raging winds that sweep through the house.
Thank you.
Glad people there are wearing masks to help keep you safe.

Fingers crossed the van gets all fixed up NOW.

It is hard to have things but are living in such small quarters and can't have your things with you.

Yes, there are even more "Dark Shadows" to watch.
Since I already remember the story line I skipped the "Beginning" for now, may watch later.

Wishing you sweet peaceful dreams and don't fret about the radiation treatment, things will work just fine. (((HUGS)))

Thank you Tatoulia for adding your experience. 😀

Thank You Subclinical
Sounds like they are getting their act together with warnings and safety protocols.

It was years ago when Steven had this treatment and they said it would be just fine for me to be near him and for him to use all the house facilities.
Thought I was overreacting by refusing to go with him to the appointment and sit next to him in the car on the ride home.
I listened to the geology professor and veterinarians.

I made him stay in the truck camper, use a porta-potty.
He had/has his own dishes since he had hoarded mine in the nasty hoard for weeks/months.
I forbid him to use MY dishes, towels, everything because of the hoarding issues.

When I allowed him in to shower at the end of his quarantine I immediately cleaned the bathroom 100%.
Washed his clothes at the laundromat.
I have never gone into that truck camper since because it's dangerous, rotting and falling apart.

He took his porta-potty to the fairground campsite dump site to empty it.
Since we are on a septic system and I was afraid it would kill all our beneficial bacteria.

He was offered to spend 3 days in the hospital quarantine room.
They felt 3 days was long enough to clear the radiation from his body.

Ps I don't remember how many days. Will depend on the dosage.

I stopped reading and started skimming when I saw about the thyroid. When I had the radioactive treatment, the kitty stayed with BF. I walked home from the hospital. Anything that couldn't be flushed in the toilet was put in a closet for six weeks, then thrown out. One dr said I could have the cat with me but the other dr said get her out. I stayed home from work and got special permission to work from home (this is how long ago it was; at that time I was allowed to work from home only one day). I wasn't able to eat before the dose or after the dose. I couldn't go near anyone. Luckily I had my own washer and dryer. I was extremely careful. I missed Christmas parties and other things but I needed to do it.

If you have only one bathroom, it will be a bit tricky. You will want her to be sure to close the toilet lid when flushing (I always do anyway) and be sure to keep your towels and toothbrush away from hers. She can't go anywhere (perfect timing, actually) and you need to be the sole person taking care of the pets.

Depending on her dosage she may need a night in the hospital in a lead room. I was able to come home. I still felt weird once kitty was allowed to come back but that was probably a decade ago.

Wow, thanks for the helpful info everybody. Last thing we'd want would be for me or any of the pets to be in danger. This house is only somewhere between 1000-1500 square feet, can't remember exactly. Her bedroom, mine, and the bath are very close.

The rabbits are clear in the other end of the house. But the dog likes to be with her and the cats of course go all over. It sounds logistically difficult especially with the shared bathroom situation. I will do some Googling and encourage her to find out more ahead of the time so she can plan if she needs to go out of town.

Radioactivity of this sort is one of those things that even though I'm into science, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the exact workings of. I do remember my elementary school doing its best to scare the stuffing out of me during the Cold War years with presentations about nuclear war.

When my mil had radioactive iodine for her thyroid last year, she had to sleep in a separate room away from fil, wash her own dishes and not put them away in the kitchen, and do her own laundry separately and not put her clothes away in their closet. She also had to use a separate bathroom and clean it herself. They told her to stay a certain distance away from everyone and not share furniture - like if she sat On the couch, fil couldn't sit on it. Even after she left the room. I can't remember how long, but I feel like it was around a week to ten days. She had to go back to get rechecked for radioactivity And then go home and clean everything after she passed.

On the bright side - this is a good time for this since everyone is in quarantine anyway.

I caught a rat in the barn last night. I'm hoping it's a good sign for my day. 6 more days of video school.

The geology teacher at the college was curious as to how long it took for the radioactive iodine to clear his body so he lent me the Geiger counter.

His readings were so high I could tell where he was in the yard by how it would go off.
As he approached the porch it would start clicking louder the nearer he came.

His dirty clothes were very radioactive as the iodine clears the body through all pores and other bodily functions.
They were still radioactive in the plastic bin.
I would not bring them in to wash them, he used the laundromat afterward.

Dirty dishes were low enough for me to wash in the kitchen sink.

I considered him safe enough to come into the house after 11 days but just to be sure had him stay away from the kittens another 5 days.

CriticalMass
Just a quick heads up to CriticalMass

Steven had thyroid cancer, they removed most all the thyroid.
Then he had radioactive iodine.
Everybody said he was safe to be near when he was radioactive.

We asked the Veterinarians and they said exposure to Steven would kill the kittens.
Destroy their thyroids.

Please do NOT allow this to happen.
Call your Veterinarians and not just listen to human doctors and technicians, they don't acre about our Furbabies.

I also kept me away from him until the Giger counter I borrowed from the college readings went down.

Oh indeed, Tillie, we'll definitely be proactive and cautious. It's good that we have time to plan the logistics. One of my friends' daughter had Graves' disease and had to do the radioactive thing, but they had a big house with basement so it was easier.

It does make me wonder if my roommate might opt to travel to where her family lives and do it up there. They have bigger houses and probably more than one bath. I could take care of the pets here. Do you remember how many days it took to clear out of Steven? Wish I could lay my hands on a Geiger counter...

Well, mustn't worry. We'll brainstorm and figure it out.

Hi, finally getting a moment to post!

I have been keeping up but just wasn't on the laptop where I can type fast. Now I am.

Tillie, I wish you weren't in such a mess. And though I understand your realism and I'd be the same way myself, I hope and pray you will NOT catch Covid-19 or any other nasty thing. Does it help any to open windows and air out the house if Steven comes in? Keep doing what you're doing - it has protected you thus far. The man is mad to go to that house with all those people. Actually the law enforcement should've made the people step apart from one another, but even if they tried to, it was probably difficult to implement order in the middle of such chaos of people all wound up.

Tatoulia, I'm glad you're getting so much satisfaction out of your decluttering and doing a bangup job of it! Once again, hoping the good endorphins from accomplishment are helping your body and mind to relax.

SubC, way to go getting little kid's shoulder strengthened, the ceramics fired, and doing the best you possibly can in the middle of such trying times. I hope you didn't take the one nasty letter to heart. No teacher tries harder than you have been doing. And all the best to the family too.

Monday was my roommate's day of doctor appointments - but the news was quite good! The cancer was in her thyroid, they think they got most of it, and it's the most treatable type of thyroid cancer. Thyroid takes up iodine so the treatment is radioactive iodine usually just one dose. The doctor had even said it could be optional but since she lost her father to a different type of cancer she wants to be sure. That treatment will be in about 8 weeks.

Yesterday I thought I was supposed to resume going to my Holy Hour at church, but I must've misread the texts and memos somehow. The chapel was dark and without the monstrance. So I just prayed a little while in the main church.

I did make stops at Dollar Tree and Walmart and it looked as if 85% of people were wearing their masks and social distancing properly. I wipe off packaging of items and the counter where the sacks have been, and then the sacks get set aside for several days and used when I clean the cat boxes.

Went to my storage unit today to drop off my flat containers of seasonal fabric which I had so hoped to have made up into doll clothes by now. 🙁 Sigh. But I needed to get them out "momentarily" so my van is not an embarrassment because - hopefully - it is going to get that valve cover gasket done tomorrow.

I can see why Tatoulia was worried about me paying for storage! Kansas prices aren't nearly as bad as Boston prices. Which doesn't mean I won't be glad to get to the point of never needing a storage unit again. Mine costs $165 a month for a 10 x 24 unit, non climate-controlled. If I could just move into a reasonable sized, safe apartment, discarding as I go, I would never need it again.

There's plenty to do to get to that point, and I'm going to do my best to get on it and power through. Tatoulia's mojo is an inspiration. I also need sufficient computer time to type the stuff on papers in - quite a bit of it really does pertain to projects like my novels and blog - little sparks of ideas I just grabbed whatever was handy to jot down before they flitted out of my head.

If I get the papers gone here, there are more awaiting in storage - journals and stuff. I think I can blow through them much faster having had some emotional decompression. I want to record just a few tidbits - good memories, or milestones. Let go of any bad. Because as an only child, no spouse, no kids, no living parents, I do need to have a bit of a record of my life or it gets too vague and I feel unmoored in time, almost unreal.

There are also books - I looked around today and I bet a lot of them I'm going to decide not to lug around anymore. So much is available online, and many of the books are outdated.

But even if I could afford to move to an apartment next week, I'd still want to help my roommate get back on her feet and all. She's my friend. Tomorrow is her birthday. After my van gets to the mechanic's, we're going to go down to the south end of town in her car to one of our favorite nurseries and I'll buy her some plants, and they have one kalanchoe rooted from a cutting that I had ordered.

My cousin is still progressing in rehab. Tonight's email from her husband did mention those three issues that had been discovered - brain bleed, blood around spinal cord, and tear in aorta - so I guess they weren't misdiagnosed. It gets confusing, and I'm sure him not being able to be at the hospital with her and the doctors makes communication harder, then to relay it to family, etc.

She is going to get to talk to the doctors tomorrow though. Maybe there will be surgery to fix her aorta. I sense it's good she's been regaining strength, and I'm sure they're closely monitoring her. So maybe tomorrow evening we'll know more.

My sleep continues to improve, and I think the crazy dreams have toned down a little. I wake feeling more rested. The weather turned really chilly for this time of year, more like March, and rainy. But tomorrow it goes back up to seasonal temps. Just have to hope that doesn't stir up tornadoes or hail. If my van got ruined by hail I might lose my mind. Sure miss having a garage.

I mentioned we've been watching Dark Shadows - well, last night I discovered on Tubi there was a separate section "Dark Shadows The Beginning" that I didn't see before! That was where it started with Victoria Winters coming to Collinsport from New York. We had started with the episodes right leading up to the arrival of Barnabas Collins. So now we're going back. The storylines will tie together better. Barnabas was just getting really creepy where we left off. But we'll get around to him again!

Anyway, this is a long enough post for now. More as soon as I can.

SubC , what a terrible disappointment. I am so sorry that happened with the kids. It's disappointing and embarrassing and not right. I'm so sorry.

Tillie you forced me into doing my dishes tonight. I was going to skip it.

Cleaners really did a nice job. And when I had to put things back in my closet there was a noticeable difference. Not a small difference. Noticeable vi couldn't believe it.

My big thing now is I want to keep up with the shredding but I'm a horrible slob when I empty the shredder. But I think if I put the shredder in the garbage bag before lifting the top off, I might have better luck. But then again, there may be static that will make some of the pieces stick to the outside of the shredder. Honestly I could just use a broom.

Mom and I are both getting tired of this life. I see it in BF's eyes too.

Tillie I had grilled cheese for dinner. It was so tasty. Provolone cheese with spicy honey for a condiment.

My mail is certainly spreading the love. People are so excited to get mail. I am loving it!

They tested everyone at mom's today. Hoping for a second negative.

Was resting, happy that the unpleasant kitchen cleaning was over & done with.

Then Scooter did a "Scarf & Barf".
So, I had to get up and clean that up. 🙁

Told him I was NEVER going to feed him again.
So he started peeking over the back of the couch hunting me.
Tossed toys for him to catch and we both had fun.

Got into shower and Steven was pacing around outside the door the whole while I was in there. 🙁
He monopolizes the bathroom and feels I have no right to lock him out, away from his favorite seat.

Been dark and windy all day with a 2% chance of rain.

Alright...

I have cleaned up the kitchen ;p

Didn't take too awfully long but I resented every second of doing it.

Sympathetic cyber ((((HUG)))) Subclinical

What a shame the kids all played hooky.

Glad Mr/Mrs Fox has not returned today and hoping it's gone on down the road now.

No more goodies makes it even harder to face this sunless day.
Make sure to add goodies to the grocery list, they are important.

Moving very slowly today...
Still determined to clean the kitchen, sometime today.
The pissant bait traps I have put out everywhere in the yard near the house are working well.
Only way I have found to keep them out of the house.

Today is not my day.

I got an angry note from a parent

And none, not one, of my little kids showed up for class after lunch.

And the sun went away. And I finished all my Mother's Day goodies.

But I have not seen the fix today.

Good Morning Everybody

HELLO CRITICALMASS

Hi Subclinical
That must have been fun for the students LOL ;D
We have Foxes here too and they are beautiful creatures.
Hope your Fox learned that you are watching and moves on.

Good luck getting the barrel fired projects ready for show&tell.
What a nice way to end the class.

Cold, cloudy and windy this morning.
Nothing needs watering especially since it is cold again.
Made a mess of the kitchen last evening, said "I don't care" and just left it.
Will clean that up today.
Need to quit falling into apathy because that just leads to even more apathy.
Mailed off my mail in ballot. Most of the people running for office I'd never heard of so I did not vote for them.

Coffee clinks!

Tatoulia, amazing work!

I think cleaning one's home for cleaners is silly. Unless you are trying to do the part you don't mind because you want them to be able to do specific things in a certain amount if time - picking up for vacuuming for example.

I am glad you are free of that storage unit!

I have had many things interrupt my classes, but yesterday was a new one. In the middle of language arts, I looked out the window and had to say "excuse me a minute. I'm sorry, but I need to go chase a fox out of my yard before it eats my chickens." Six minutes later the barn was closed up and the fox was run off. The kids were very amused.

The fox was young and beautiful, but I hope it moves on! I had a momma fox use my flock to teach her cubs to hunt one year, and it was not pretty. Too bad foxes don't prefer rats.

I barrel fired my student's work yesterday. It was fun. Hopefully I will be able to get the barrel unloaded this morning so I can wash them during class and show them to everybody. Then they will get packed up so that each kid can get their own back on Wednesday.

7 more days of online school, but this is the last wednesday I teach pottery. Next Wednesday will just be them picking up their stuff and then at the end of the day, my Dungeons and Dragons group.

The Pansies look so cheerful on the window ledge.

Your building has such amazing features, a real classic.

Your cleaners already know how much you need them.
If not for them you would not have a fresh clean house like you do now.
Remember, they helped so much helping you reclaim it after you decluttered enough to let them come in.

This sorting out of old papers is what The Gentle Art Of Swedish Cleaning is about.
Keeping what still has purpose or meaning, gifting others with some things you know they would appreciate.
Bringing down the amount to a well curated tidy little collection of what you want to bring into the future with you.

When Scooter first came to me he was so tiny and extremely ill, temporarily blinded by eye infection.
Not yet weened, undernourished and needing bottle feedings.
But he had such a life force!
He planned to conquer the world and destroy everything in it.
He quickly learned that I had what he wanted, food and understanding of his viciousness.

Going to bed now. Took an anti anxiety pill. Did a bit more shredding. Have the keepers put back. So much easier now. I still have quite a bit to get through or move before the cleaners. But they are used to me and they are good to me.

I was able to put my TP stash on the shelves in my closet!!

I wrote a number of cards tonight. I'm enjoying my mailings! Who distant like mail?

I shredded a giant packet of documents from when I closed on my mortgage in 2003. No need to keep. I have the discharge and it's been recorded so no need to keep.

Stuff from high school -cards, letters, poems- I shredded after barely skimming. Nothing to be done. I noticed I was loved and that felt terrific. I hated high school and was terribly depressed yet I was loved. Didn't find anything from any boyfriend, just stuff from girlfriends. I did have a boyfriend. I had trouble letting go when he dumped me. Then my family moved. He visited a few times but I don't know when or where our last conversation was. He was big into drugs and I had no interest. Today I'd walk away cleaner and with better clarity.

Okay off to bed. Thank you for your support. I'm so pleased with myself! Will have more to do but not now. Will take a break. Plus there are bits of shredded paper everywhere and once cleaners have cleaned, I'm going to want to keep everything tidy. I can work on donations and other things. Just not shredding. Or only enough to fill it once. It was the multiple transfers to the garbage bag.

I know other people clean for their cleaners. I like having my cleaners know that I need them.

Tilie I really appreciated having you here today. I didn't feel so isolated.

I love how your feral cat is so needy with you.

What sweet little memories you have been finding in Narnia. 😉

Hope those panic attacks leave you alone (((HUG)))
Meditation has helped me greatly, no more night terrors.

YEA! for all you bagged up there!
That donation bag can wait to be put in the car.

With all these places wanting to open back up I do believe donation centers will be taking in goods very soon.

It should be very safe to donate but I worry about too many people filling the shops.
People like Steven who have been suffering from not being able to buy at thrift shops to feed their addiction monkey.

I found it satisfying to window shop dresses online with no intention of buying anything.

That is so sweet the way you have been reaching out to people with your little saved mementos.
Keeps you connected in very special ways.
Especially precious during these trying days.

I went up to visit BF for a bit. A friend of ours sent him a card here. I took it up to him and hung out for a while. I started to panic and came home and called mom. I just had a delicious tuna sandwich on toast with pickles and if was very tasty.

Going to go back to shredding for a bit. It overheated earlier. I am amazed at how I feel.

I got a giant bag of recycling out. I have a donation bag but will hide it in the closet for now. It needs to go to the car but I was feeling overwhelmed and didn't want to drag it up there tonight. I wasn't feeling that great emotionally and felt I was accomplishing enough by getting the giant recycling bag out.

I found a letter from my grandparents on my father's side. What a treat. They loved me a lot.

My friend received that old fax I found and she said, what a hoot! See for the price of a stamp I'm having the best time. And then she can toss. I found some stuff from my second Japan trip so I may send that to the girlfriends I traveled with.

Did I mention I found the adoption papers from the cat my mom got me when I was 17? Fantastic cat. So I sent the paper to my mom and told her how much I appreciated that she got that cat for me. He was a good friend to all of us.

Hoarding is such a mind boggling disorder.
400 dollars a month just to keep things you did not use, need or even want but felt compelled to hold onto.
So very, very proud of how far you've come ((((HUG))))

And that's not just storage but your home, finances and lifestyle too.

It makes me so happy that you are enjoying the results even though the actual doing has been extremely hard.

Twinkles has one tooth LOL and he gets into relentless vomiting spells. He has very long fur and sheds even after I spend an hour brushing him.
Scooter is insanely wild and not at all domesticated.
He has always been a challenge and that's why I could not adopt him out.
People would not put up with a cat that hunts and attacks them, but we have come to an agreement.
He is very attached and dependent on me and would find it too hard to adapt to others.

Yesterday the weather was nice until afternoon when the winds started raging through.
It got cold over night and is cool today.
Predicted lows this week are 40 degrees and highs of 70 degrees.

The winds are raging out there again today.

As sad as it is, you will be doing the cats a favor. Believe me, no one would take my nearly 16 year old, nearly toothless, vomiting cat. And I don't want her going to a cat hoarder. So you are making the responsible and ethical choice

Tillie you won't believe how much I'm doing. It's all lifting off of me. I cannot believe it. What a gift.

Some of the checks stubs I was just shredding included the $ toward my storage space. Nearly 400 a month. Can you imagine? And I kept nothing. Nothing. And you all got me to that place.
And will you take a look at where we are going today?!? So much going on here!!!

Thank You Tatoulia (((((HUG)))))

I won't do anything with Twinkles and Scooter until I get fever and breathing difficulties.

WAY TO GO!
You are doing such a FANTASTIC job there!
I know all this decision making is hard
if it weren't you would have done it a long time ago.
So glad and relieved that the discomfort is lifted as soon as you make the decision.

It is very freeing, enjoy the feelings of freedom.