Dave, I hope you decided to pass on that expired chicken. I heard some stuff about *dates*. Sell By is for the store to pull it from the shelves but perfectly fine at home. Best By refers to quality, can be used after that date but might have lost flavor or texture. Expires means toss. Of course the food we have already cooked is a judgment call. I usually go by smell but as I get older that isn't always a reliable method. Or I figure leftovers should be used within a couple days. We don't eat as much as we used to but I still have a tendency to overbuy especially if the food is on sale. I wouldn't make Laura eat something questionable. Unfortunately I tend to treat my body with the same disrespect I have treated my living environment. And childhood stuff all conspires to make me think I have an iron stomach. Still working on changing those perspectives.

Thank you Diane, for the advice and comforting words. I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to look for the fridge line shut off. The jammed thing I did is holding for now. Food got moved to garage which is plenty cold. I remember my grandmother leaving food outside in animal proof bins. Part of the family was from Canada and they made do. Iron stomachs that bunch.

Old Kitty is on meds for bladder now. She's a hardy one and doesn't seem at all ready to go down. But you know how difficult it is to make that decision. 🙁

My good attitude (which is a constant effort btw) is slipping for sure. I really hope it isn't SAD settling in. It is way too early for that. I can't imagine going thru this for another 4 months.

I'm slipping into disarray around the house. I am so ready for bed by 6:00 p.m. My back needs more rest. And I kind of just don't care. I'm tired of daily maintenance and I don't feel like getting into trouble areas.

The one good thing (actually there are lots of good things, gratitude lists help) is that I am more aware that down moods will shift into better ones. I used to see down moods as totally black, never ending, life sucks, that's it, game over. Now I don't take them quite as seriously. Venting is good. Then one foot in front of the other. The fog will lift.

Yesterday was spent putting out little fires all over the place. I took my computer back in to the store and watched the guy try to correct some issues. He couldn't. Brought it back home. 6 Geeks worked on my computer by getting inside remotely and one thing seemed to be fixed and another problem would crop up. Still not right.

The refrigerator stated warming again and water is still leaking. I tried jamming the ice maker thingy so it wouldn't indicate that more water is needed for ice. I had ordered a new fridge a couple months ago, then decided this one had more life in it. Mistake. My next fridge won't have an ice maker.

The oldest kitty is leaking blood, urine and poop without knowing it so we were finding small messes everywhere. Poor girl tries to go in the box, thinks she does and leaves. Cat dementia maybe? She's not happy to be in a little diaper now. Vet visit tomorrow.

I thought I had mailed some bills and found them yesterday jammed in my purse. Out to the post office. Laura told me to wear a coat. I didn't. Regretted it.

Big, big hoarder mentality mistake ~ I ate some food that should have been tossed because I didn't want to waste the money. Regretted that all night. Have to remember my health is worth more than some chicken and potatoes. :p

So today is a new day and I'll continue to go with the flow and take care of things.

have a good one

There's small truck repair that needs to be taken care of. And I need to change the furnace filters and add salt to the water treatment tank.

Plus the usual stuff.

Today I have Daily and Bi-Weekly chores. I want to pay some bills and correct a problem with the cell phone charges. We have some leftovers to use up so a little creative cooking there.

I have some Christmas gifts to start wrapping. Then they have to be put in trash bags and stored in the garage. If they stay inside the animals will be far too curious and even if they don't rip the paper they'll get fur all over it. Laura tapes a paper with Santa stickers on the gift trash bags so they don't get mixed and tossed with the real trash.

How did all the winter prep go yesterday? Take good care not to physically overdue it. Have you given any more thought to a companion dog?

Tat I love reading how you do so many nice things for older people! It warms my heart and makes me want to show kind gestures to the people in my life. Thank you for that example!

How is your mom doing with the dejunking? Is she accepting your help?

A day spent in service to others is never wasted!

I have been spending way too much time on the computer recently. Using it for breaks is fine but it easily slides into *too much* for me.

So today my work breaks will be reading a few pages of inspiration in a book.

Yesterday's SA run was successful. Passed on steak sale.

Today is simple. Stay home, daily chores, put away things that were dumped in garage from costso like paper towels and toilet paper. Clean litter boxes.

I got a lovely text from one of my brothers yesterday. I'll call him to catch up.

Take care everyone.

I'll be making a trip to Salvation Army without looking in the trunk and I'll ask the guys to unload for me.

Thinking about splurging on a steak sale at the grocery store.

Three pink roses bloomed on my hardy bushes thanks to Indian Summer temps so I'll bring those in, unscrew outdoor hoses and shut off water to the outside. I learned the hard way (is there other way?) that leaving the hoses on all winter strips the threads (?) and causes the faucets to leak.

Daily chores plus Fridays (this is Friday right?) include bi-weekly chores.

Today the Ebay store guy passed on my stuff even though he said it was name brand, clean and in excellent condition. He just didn't think the sale price and shipping costs would be worth the work involved. So right away I got discouraged and couldn't make a decision; should I try to sell it elsewhere, donate to Salvation Army right away since it was already in the trunk or bring it home til I can decide? It's home still in the trunk. 🙁

I got on the computer trying to figure options until my daughter said leave it alone before you get more discouraged. She was right. The priority now is to stem that downward spiral of discouragement and get my head in a better frame of mind. When my outlook is better I'll be able to look at those items and donate them.

The head work for me now will be to take some action that I have control over and will have a positive outcome. Wash and put away laundry, brush the cats, take the groceries I bought for my neighbor's son's Boy Scout project to his house. I will also simmer a pot of apple cider with some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. The scent will cheer me.

Before I go to sleep I'll review the day and let it go. Tomorrow morning I'll post on the thread Today is a New Day that Tat started. I am loving the sense of hope, freshness and possibilities that statement gives me.

Today was supposed to be rainy but we're getting breaks in the clouds. My next door neighbor's son came over yesterday asking me to fill bags for his Boy Scout project of feeding the homeless. So I'll go out now and do that.

I'll take some things to the *I Sold It on Ebay* store.

Daily chores, wash animal bedding.

Daily chores, errands, and 30 minutes on dejunking. There are still areas (and will be for awhile) that need whittling down; over filled bookshelves, drawers, closets.

I need to watch my grandkids today. That usually means a lot of physicality ~ some of our favorite games from when they were younger are Roughhouser Puppies and Tower of Babies. Lately it's been Murder Ball from my childhood.

Since I need to do daily chores here first by the time I get to them I'll need to move carefully. They have several choices of activities. We'll read some American history on their level and they'll come with me to see the voting process. We'll choose one or two simple fall recipes, buy the ingredients and make them from scratch. We'll visit a wildlife rehab center. Quiet stuff, at most I'll need my cane.

Certain movements are causing severe pain today. I'm learning to do a lot of work from the floor (hand washing, hand broom sweeping, sorting and folding laundry). Again, so grateful to have my daughter to help. I'm keeping the up and down movements to a minimum and taking frequent breaks to lie on my side or stretch my back.

Things I refused to do in the past (considering moving to a smaller house or one level with minimal acreage) are feeling more necessary and acceptable.

Age, like so many things I refused to deal with, is inevitable so I may as well go with the flow. Fighting it is so much harder.

For you younger hoarders out there, here's simple advice, if you're like me when I was younger, I wouldn't have taken; but really consider it ~~

I really have to keep up with a basic housekeeping schedule or things go downhill fast.

Today I'll play catch-up with the daily chores I have let slide. I'd love to add more to that but realistically more wouldn't get done.

Last night was fun handing out candy at my daughter's house until it became an impromptu party with kids, adults and dogs pouring into their house. I'm so not a party person. Laura enjoys festivities. I ended up playing with the younger kids and dogs. We told scary stories, hid and screamed for parents ~ Mommy help I can't breathe!!!! Daddy I'm bleeding!!!!! When the alcohol addled adults came looking (took awhile though) we would jump out and scare them. They were not amused which made it funnier for us. The kids seemed pleasantly surprised that a grammy could be so crazy and be more interested in them then in grownups. Eventually the exhausted ones ended up on mommy's big bed (with a yellow lab and a yorkie) and we talked about how precious grandchildren are to grandparents.

I was painfully aware that although I love being with kids they were providing me with the excuse not to mingle with the adults. It seems so pointless ~ drinking, getting rowdy. I did it years ago but it always felt like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing not what I wanted to do. Anyway, I had my own kind of fun last night. Farts and burping contests were big crowd pleasers for girls as well as boys. haha

I liked Tat's idea that on her grandmother's birthday she was going to do something to honor her memory.

I'm actually not feeling all that energized but I'm going to focus on the opportunities ~ time to do work, the ability to do it, freedom to take breaks as I need them.

Today will be daily chores. And spend some time getting rid of paperwork that has been piling up.

Yesterday was too beautiful to work outside so Laura and I spent time with horses. They are such a part of my blood and cells I love them so much. I love running my fingers along the brow bone feeling the hollows above their eyes; finding each one's itchy spot that makes them stretch their necks in pleasure, the heaviness of holding a hoof; the warmth of a deep snort in my face.

Very late last night we lay with the dogs outside. There were warm breezes, the rustle of tall pines, the smells of fallen leaves, the heavy sighs of dogs as they settled in for the night next to us.

When we finally went to bed kitties picked their favorite person and purred us to sleep.

My soul feels refreshed and ready to do the work of today.

We might be having our last really warm day for awhile and I'd like to get some stuff done with water ~ wash out some coolers before storing, scrub some pool furniture I left out, hose off cobwebby sleds. I can do that while sitting, Laura can move it around. I thank God she is such a cheerful helper!

My back feels better, not great, but it is responding to being treated more gently.

Laura is going with me to the dump to handle the heavy trash bags and some pine tree branches.

We will go by the bank. I'd love to make it to Costco but that might be pushing it.

Another fence repair estimate for later today.

Daily chores.