Room For All

[BetteTheRed]

I have had a very exhausting Labour Day. I don't think I've mentioned this, but I made a monumental decision about two weeks ago. I decided to let a woman, who has become, over 6 years or so, quite a close friend, her daughter lives next door to me, I brought her into my church, where she fits like a friggin' glove - into my house. This is a big deal. We have a hard layer of dirt in many cases, over top of too much crap, left by a million people. And there have been mice. I once asked chansen what he thought I should do and he said "light a match". And there's clean-ish rooms, like my bedroom. I have suffered chronic clinical depression for much of my life, and although I function on the outside, not so much the inside.

So, D___ has been coming over several times a week, helping me sort and clean and dump, etc. So today, she and I worked HARD from 11:30 to 3:30 with a 10 minute tea break. But then we changed into bathing costumes, and went next door to her daughter's pool, and lounged for an hour and a half on pool noodles. Went over to big guys, got fed and hugged, and I have a big job to do tonight.

 

[ninj]

So, D___ has been coming over several times a week, helping me sort and clean and dump, etc. So today, she and I worked HARD from 11:30 to 3:30 with a 10 minute tea break. But then we changed into bathing costumes, and went next door to her daughter's pool, and lounged for an hour and a half on pool noodles. Went over to big guys, got fed and hugged, and I have a big job to do tonight

That's a very rugged day you've already spent -- emotionally and physically (heard it's hot there too) I can't help thinking though it's also perfect timing with the other shifts happening in your life. Time to make room for the love! Here's to freedom. More hugs.

 

[Nancy]

You take Labour Day to a whole new level @BetteTheRed

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Greetings from PEI. I biked about 50 km yesterday, the first 40 in full sun. Went from Morrell past St Peters to Greenwich National Park. No entrance fee for people biking in.
Here some impressions. PEI has really been hit hard by storm Fiona. I think someone said 70% of the trees are damaged.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

I also went to a guided tour in the morning about fossils and saw fossil tree trunks, found fossil rocks and learned a whole lot about that time.

 

[Redbaron]

Good morning! Family birthdays and memories books, vaccines and repelling wasps, for busy Labour Day housecleaning and bike rides, moving to new campsites and everything else that goes on, we gather in spirit as we can around the Coffee Cart for commiseration and congratulations, conversation and community, support and encouragement. All is ready, come and get it.

C(_)/ c(_) c\_/ c[_]

 

[JayneWonders]

I have had a very exhausting Labour Day. I don't think I've mentioned this, but I made a monumental decision about two weeks ago. I decided to let a woman, who has become, over 6 years or so, quite a close friend, her daughter lives next door to me, I brought her into my church, where she fits like a friggin' glove - into my house. This is a big deal. We have a hard layer of dirt in many cases, over top of too much crap, left by a million people. And there have been mice. I once asked chansen what he thought I should do and he said "light a match". And there's clean-ish rooms, like my bedroom. I have suffered chronic clinical depression for much of my life, and although I function on the outside, not so much the inside.

So, D___ has been coming over several times a week, helping me sort and clean and dump, etc. So today, she and I worked HARD from 11:30 to 3:30 with a 10 minute tea break. But then we changed into bathing costumes, and went next door to her daughter's pool, and lounged for an hour and a half on pool noodles. Went over to big guys, got fed and hugged, and I have a big job to do tonight.

I remember how much I had and we were a family of 4. You've had multiple generations. You are doing great to have a friend help you

 

[Mendalla]

I think someone said 70% of the trees are damaged.

I remember hearing that back when it happened. Nasty. We had been thinking of including NB on our travels last Fall but Fiona hit just about the time we were leaving Ontario so we stuck to just touring Eastern Quebec.

I also went to a guided tour in the morning about fossils and saw fossil tree trunks, found fossil rocks and learned a whole lot about that time.

Tres cool. There are some interesting fossil beds Down East, even if they don't get as much coverage as the ones out West like the Badlands and the Burgess Shale.

Dealing with a certain ****ing virus again. Two of my team at work so far, neither seriously ill, just cold and flu like symptoms. I'm in a private office and well vaccinated (full series plus two boosters, one of them bivalent, plus a dose of it myself last summer) so can hopefully escape due to distancing.

 

[BetteTheRed]

I remember how much I had and we were a family of 4. You've had multiple generations. You are doing great to have a friend help you

I am so blessed with her friendship. She's totally non-judgmental, also quite funny, and on a good day, we can float in her daughter next door's pool afterwards...I got a bit of nice colour yesterday.

There was my father, my mother, and they left stuff, then both my kids left home several times before successful fledging, every time leaving crap, then my sister has lived here, I've had four or five boarders over the years, all of whom leave more crap. Most of the furniture here is original to my parents, as are many of the fixtures. I've done cosmetic renos to bathroom and kitchen, but the paint job is still not bad, and it's a tasteful colour combo, except for the kitchen, which must be repainted anyway, and the bathroom, because no-one in the world thinks that brick red is a good colour for a tiny bathroom.... Also, complicating matters is the fact that every single one of these people, except the boarders, have been obsessive book collectors. I could start a library.

 

[paradox3]

There is a nice decluttering community on Reddit. There are a couple of authors they swear by, too.

Downsizing ones possession is a time consuming process, that's for sure. Kudos to you for tackling it.

 

[BetteTheRed]

Already it appears that the books are going to be a barrier. I seem unable to give away very many books.

 

[JayneWonders]

Books were hard for me. I put pictures of books on Facebook and offered them to folks in my community.

 

[JayneWonders]

Bought a new laptop and setting it up, while sitting bedside.
Helps to pass the time. My Surface battery was becoming less and less reliable. Afraid one day that it wouldn't start.

 

[Mendalla]

Bought a new laptop and setting it up, while sitting bedside.
Helps to pass the time.

That it would. My "new" (bought it in June) toy is pretty much stable now. Haven't added anything in a while. Of course, I really only use it for Chrome, LibreOffice Writer (for my writing), and occasionally LibreOffice Calc (the spreadsheet). Email and most other stuff is browser-based. I did install a hypervisor (Virtual Box) intending to do some fiddling with Linux but just haven't felt inclined to put in the time.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Already it appears that the books are going to be a barrier. I seem unable to give away very many books.

Completely understand that. When we moved to Canada with half a container load ( furniture was mostly sold and given away), I had more boxes with books than with kitchenware. One “reason” was, that I wouldn’t be able to buy books in German here. A couple years ago, after resolving to the fact than junior doesn’t speak German and ergo wouldn’t read all those books, I donated a couple of boxes to the German department of the University.
Last year, I bought myself a new bookshelf from Ikea with glass doors, took all the books out and swore that only the books I really like will go back in. Still have two boxes sitting in front of it. I did realize that I am not going to read all of those again in my lifetime.

 

[Redbaron]

Good morning! Cleaning out, books, fossils and laptops, amid all sorts of other things come up. We gather in spirit round the Coffee Cart, for conversation and community, and warming beverages of all kinds. Someone has thoughtfully provided doughnuts and Timbits as well. Come on in, join the conversation, and have a tea or coffee!

C(_)/ c(_) c\_/ c[_]

 

[Luce NDs]

Contemplate on the dark hole where the stuff of books goes during the reading!

Some declare this Black Hole is non existent and thus an underground source for more subtle and humble minds to give them an occasional bobbin sense ... beware of the fissure say the totally independent of single desire ... the urge to escape knowing anything and everything?

 

[Northwind]

Good morning. We've moved to our new park which will be home for about 3 weeks.

This is our "backyard"

 

[paradox3]

Already it appears that the books are going to be a barrier. I seem unable to give away very many books.

Some of the decluttering gurus say you should get rid of any books you will never read again. I disagree with this but I think a manageable amount makes sense.

How many bookshelves do you have/ want to keep in your home? How full do you want them to be? Many people like some empty space and/ or other items displayed on bookshelves.

Curating a collection of any sort can be quite satisfying.

 

[KayTheCurler]

Books were hard for me. I put pictures of books on Facebook and offered them to folks in my community.

We had quite a lot -many of which hadn't been opened in years. I cleared some convenient shelves and put the ones that were important to me on them. I piled the information books - birds, flowers, fungi etc that were no longer wanted. Put everything that belonged to hubby in one place (didn't seem fair to get rid of his stuff, even though he never seemed to use it.) Paperback novels that were bought by various family members went to the library Book Sale.

A local woman living with autism who developed a fascination with botany cleaned my house for books! Moved on to yard work for the bird books. Win win!