Can not believe tomorrow it's May already.
Does anyone have anything they want to challenge on?

I am going to try again to greatly reduce my sugar consumption.
After my Dear Kitty died I really did bad.
For weeks I ate almost nothing but chocolate.
I'm sure I would have more energy with less sugar.

Hi Again CriticalMass (((HUG)))
You are front most in my thoughts tonight.

Hi Subclinical
I watched videos and helped the cats stay wrapped up in their blankets but resisted the urge to eat chocolate.
So many things I could have done. LOL 😀

How's the floor looking?

Hi Tatoulia
I warned you to measure twice. LOL 😀
I watched the video this morning and she did a nice job on the closet.
Aqua is a lovely color.
She has a lot of things to store that I don't have so putting them in the baskets keeps it organized, like with like.
Good luck getting your closet exactly right for you.

YES! Rothy's!
I thought they were so cute.
You will have to tell us how they feel.

I wear Minnetonka moccasins.
Street wear and slippers.
One pair of my sandals is hand made especially for me and I have 4 pair of San Antonio Shoes SAS sandals.
When I worked in surgery I wore Bass because they kept my feet from being tired or sore from standing all day.

Having the right footwear is very important.
Especially if we have to work in the mud tending goats.

What is Instagram?
Is it laptop accessible/compatible?
Do we sign up for it, use our email addresses?
How do I find it?
I know, I am so lame & challenged.

I am going to have to find a way to share pictures. It's turning out very nicely.

Would you ladies be willing to go on Instagram? I'll make a place where I post pictures and I'll make it public so you can look while staying anonymous. Would that work?

Well I only measured once Tillie. I needed to do twice. Two of the baskets won't fit. I will see if they will work in my bedroom closet otherwise I will return. They are a pretty aqua. They fit, I just can't close the door, so that's the same as not fitting.

Tillie the bright bottle shoes you mention are Rothy's. I ordered a pair of their point flats in Sunshine. They haven't arrived yet. The sneaks BF got me are Allbirds. I got the tree ones not the merino wool.

Ok back to closet. I'm making decisions and I feel strong. And the closet is adorable. It's smaller than the one in the YouTube. I chose aqua as my color. Ridiculously cute.

Ps bear in mind that BF and I each have full time jobs and no kids. So we tend to splurge on stuff like shoes. Plus I have a theory that anything is possible if you have the right shoes. Without foot comfort, I am lost. I walk and walk and walk and my feet are my priority.

CM, wonderful news! I will pray that her recovery continues!

Tillie, sometimes I have days like that. I'm finding it's better just to lean into them. Dh will come home and ask what I did today, and I will say "I ate chocolate, read, watched videos, and pet the cat! So tomorrow, I will feel better." Especially if the weather is bad - I figure it's just night taking back the time I stole with electric lighting.

Tatoulia, I am excited about your closet! I wish we could see a picture. Nice job staying on budget too!

Cm that is remarkable and I am so grateful to hear good news. Please keep us posted when you can; we care about your friend, too. Thank you so much for bringing us beautiful news today.

Tillie I'm sorry you three are in a funk. Not always easy to chase away.

It's 8:30 and I just got home. And yes, I bought the baskets and yup, I'm diving in tonight. My cleaners come tmr so I need to finish what I start. I'm pretty excited. I went lunch time and scoped things out; there was a shop clerk who got all excited for me and helped me look at stuff. So I went bavk tonight and bought the things. I kept telling the cashier to keep me updated on total and guess what? I spent $70.06. Exactly the cash I brought with me.

I'm going to head in. I'm sure this is going to be a lengthy project so I'll play some music to keep me going. I'm heading in.

5:30pm and I have totally wasted this day.

Just could not get myself motivated to do anything.
I think it's some sort of depression due to it being Winterlike again.
Dark cold drizzly and dreary.
Fortunately I am not alone, the cats are in a funk too.
Curled up in cat blankets sleeping all day.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be back to Springtime.

Thank you CriticalMass for that very positive and uplifting message!

(((((BIG BIG HUGS)))))

Friends, I can't believe I'm writing this...

MY FRIEND IN ICU IS DOING MUCH BETTER!!

*** Happy Dance ***

I think Thursday was the last grim looking day, or maybe Friday. Then the doctors found the right balances of meds and whatever - and everybody's prayers - and the next day there was noticeable improvement, and the next day even more.

And yesterday, which was her birthday, was a real celebration. I confess my eyes leaked a bit.

I'll be back soon.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Thank you for that hopeful image for me. 🙂

Those Willow trees will love living in a flood plain.
So happy you got the time to work on your garden.
That's a great idea to still wear the old boots when the areas are dry and save wear & tear on the new boots.

Very recently I saw two commercials for shoes made out of recycled water bottle plastic.
The shoes were very cute flats in nice colors and are stain/dirt resistant.
Sorry I don't remember the company name.

How wonderful your heart Dd was on Jeopardy and won enough to pay for all that!

Having a stash of "rag" towels is so important.
I just gave some of mine to the veterinarian clinic when I reassessed now that I am down to only two cats.
But there was a time when I had a huge stack back when I had a lot more animals living here.
Even with no animals in the home people still need "rag" towels.

Only 4 more weeks of school!
Hoping you have something fun and relaxing planned for your Summer vacation.
Even if it's just sitting and relaxing in the shade drinking lemonade.

Hi Tatoulia
When deciding to donate the extra guest towels...
Hold them up to the "rag" towels you have and see which ones are the better.
Then keep the best ones for your rag towels.
That's how I ended up with three extremely nice large thick towels to use for utility purposes.
The animal clinic/rescue will still appreciate any towels they receive, even if they are less than perfect.

The hand towel/wash cloth method I am picturing you wanting is a half fold then rolling them and placing them into an open top decorative basket.
Pretty basic and simple, easy to maintain system.
Thanks for the link, I'll watch that today.

Cold dark & windy day today with a chance of rain.
Dipped down to 30 degrees over night.
Most plants can handle that cold as long as it only lasts for a few hours.

I find it very interesting that we three all have special loved Heart people in our lives.
People who need/needed us and we need them and want them to succeed and be happy.
This says a LOT about the kind of people we are. (((HUG)))

Thank you for your nice newsy post SubC! This is a quick drive by so everyone watch your toes.

Tillie Marie Kondo could never work for me. Not my style at all. The thing I saw on Instagram is lovely. I would merely put hand towels and face cloths in baskets, likely rolled. I'm willing to give this a try. Tillie she's on YouTube if you search for Miriam Keoshian Linen Closet and you'll see what I'm trying to accomplish. I actually haven't watched the video, but I just did a search because that is the look I'm going for. I'll watch it tonight. I had merely seen the end result and liked it quite a bit.

I will likely get rid of guest towels because I rarely have houseguests and I don't want to be keeping stuff for Justin Guest. I have enough stores in my area to quick buy two new bath towels should I need to.

Have to run. Loved the glimpse into both of your lives.

Forgot to thank Tatoulia for telling me about her shoes. 🙂 things like that encourage me.

I'm here.

I'm good, but tired. Floor guy made it five feet across the room yesterday. I cleared more garden space (the straw sprouts) and planted beans and some little willows I started in water. ( I planted the willows on the flood plain, not in the garden)

I wore my new boots. Later on I stuck my old boots on for a short walk (I have not thrown them out - I figure there will be times I need them to protect my feet that are not wet times and they will save the new boots longer.) and appreciated how light the new boots are. Money well spent!

I am delighted by Tillie's "New" cooler! Tillie, I am imagining you cool and comfortable in a lovely green garden room with a solid roof this summer!

Tatoulia, your car friend sounds a lot like my heart daughter. We went to her college graduation. Nobody had ever shown up for her before. One of the professors who was really fond of her came up afterwards and asked "are you (❤️Dd's)....group of people?" You could tell she was going to say "family", but dh and I look young for our ages and would have been young teenage parents if she was born to us, and our kids are old enough to be her siblings because we did have them young, so she just punted. We said "yes, she's ours, and we're really proud of her." Now and then we still joke about being her "group of people."

Also, fun fact, she was on jeopardy. She didn't do well because she knew all the answers, but she struggled with the buzzer. She's a swim coach, and apparently it works opposite of a stop watch, so her reflexes were all wrong. But she won enough to pay for the trip to compete and take her kid to Disney while they were there.

I think your linen closet idea sounds lovely, although I'm not sure why you are getting rid of guest towels. Won't you have to buy another set when you have a guest again?

I have a huge pile of old towels - but between kidding seasons, my granddogs, and the studio, they get used a lot. If i'm Really busy I can come close to running out. You never want to be out of clean old towels on the day your kids make a surprise visit with a muddy dog!

I look at Pinterest for ideas for my classes.

This morning i'm filling in for another teacher, so I have to go in early. 4 more weeks of school!

I have three large thick very nice bath towels that I call my
"rag towels".
I use them for laying out to dry things on, in the large animal carrier when we use it and many other uses.
They come in so very handy.

So happy to hear that you remember that the laundry isn't done till it's folded and put away 😀

One big downfall I can see with the Marie Kondo folding system is that it's so involved many people would not continue to fuss that much putting laundry away at all.
I wouldn't and I have to fold all my clothing since I have no closet hanging space, just drawers.
Plus her method puts too many horizontal creases in them.
My method concentrates more on vertical folds because they look neater in blouses and dresses, more natural.

I've never looked at Pinterest or Instagram, but I have heard of them.
Sites like that are great to give you ideas and motivation to make changes.

Rant warning....
Alex Trebek ticked me off years ago because the question/answer were WRONG!
The Alice Cooper Group got their start at the VIP club in TUCSON, not in Phoenix like Alex said.
I know because I was there every weekend.
The VIP club was in the building that used to be the Ice Palace, an ice skating rink located on East Speedway Boulevard, Tucson Arizona.
The band was originally "The Spiders" then changed to "The Nazz".
Didn't become The Alice Cooper Group until they finally started getting noticed.
I also got to meet Jimi Hendrix there, he gave me a guitar pick.
OK, I'll stop now....

That sounds like a hearty meal, Tillie! Yes a bit strange but I trust you!!!! Esp the cream of celery soup sounds so tasty!

Yay for a nice quiet working cooler!!! Hip hip hooray!!

I do think it's good for the neighbor to know I'm thinking of getting rid of my car. Im glad I could tell her that if she does the overnight shift, she can just take it. I want her to succeed without a ton of pressure. She can buy a car at her leisure. She's had a lot stacked against her in life. Young inner city woman of color with a baby and not a lot of emotional support. And she's done it. College with honors. About six years back, she was honored at some ceremony and no one went to watch her. No family member, no one. So I took her then-toddler son and we stopped at the florist first and we cheered her on and took pictures and made sure she knew that we are proud of her. So BF and I made sure when she graduated that we were there. Letting her take my car is not an issue. She's in law enforcement and is very responsible. Her success is important to me.

I had stopped watching jeopardy when i took issue with something stupid Alex Trebek said. But I've been lured back by Jeopardy James!!

I too watch very little actual tv. Don't need it! I'm streaming.

I anticipate, from my looking around, that the project would cost me about $70.

I don't own many washcloths or towels, I culled the herd quite a while ago and I have plenty for me and BF. I also have a few for my visitor. After she comes this summer, I will dispose of her towels. (Animal shelter) I also have two junk towels that I used to help with the draft from the front windows in the winter and I also use them with the air conditioner. But those are in a drawer.

I have measured (once so far) and I have drawn out some ideas. Next I will go to a store sometime this week and measure anything I come across to get a better sense of things.

I do think I'll be happy with this and oddly, I do know I'll roll up my hand towels and my washcloths. Do you know what makes me so sure? Many years ago you taught me to fold and put away my laundry as soon as I do it and I have ever since. And I've kept dishes out of my sink. I'm ready to roll the towels!!!

For me, I'm excited about trying this as a project. I think I'm ready. I also thought I could have a bin for my slippers. I have several pair that I wear for different reasons, essentially. I did wash up my pretty ones that go with the pretty terry bathrobe I've decided to give to cleaners. The slippers don't fit me exactly right and BF bought me a pair when we were shopping.

I think I'm ready. Oh and I saw it on Instagram, not Pinterest. I'm not a Pinterest person. I don't understand it yet I know people love it.

SubC congratulations on the good paycheck from your sale!! Your talent, artistry and hard work were rewarded! Do let us know how you are. I want you to know that BF bought me a pair of walking shoes that are made from trees in a sustainable way and with a low carbon footprint. And each shoelace is made from recycled plastic bottles. I wore them today. I like them.. Cool and light, I'll likely live in them all summer. I will walk to work in them and wear them on the weekend. I have two pair of shoes to donate to keep up with things. I only give my cleaners my dress heels so I'll donate the other walking shoes to goodwill.

Cm sending peace and love your way.

Make sure to measure
then measure again.

Sounds like it would work for your needs.
For me I just prefer my linens in stacks, not bins.

Would you be willing to fold or roll the towels & wash cloths every time you do laundry to fit properly in the baskets?

Some people I know have found the rolled hand towels and wash cloths in an open basket is a perfect system for them.
Plus it does look pretty.

If this makes you happy I say "go for it".

How much money do you think this project will take?

Hi Tatoulia
Glad the funeral was a nice one with so many generations of descendants.

WAY TO GO!!!! for the test!
and for finally mailing packages. 🙂

Very good that you broached the subject of the car with the lady who drives it regularly.
Either way, this will help you make any final decisions.

Used to watch Jeopardy faithfully for decades
but since I got the ROKU I haven't watched much regular tv.
So many programs that I have really been enjoying.

I cut up a polska kielbasa, browned it.
Cooked up the last of my jasmine rice.
Opened a can of red kidney beans, can of garbanzo beans and a can of corn.
Used two small cans of cream of celery soup as a sauce.
Mixed it all together and served it over the rice.
Yeah, I know it's strange but tastes very good. ;D

Steven finally got the cooler all back together and I have it on.
It's cold, very cold on low.
Last year it made a lot of loud noise to operate and now it's very quiet.
The old bearing things were totally worn out.
Nice difference.

Ok, so, I've gotten rid of a lot of things from my linen closet over the years, and I'm at that spit where I'm thinking of organizing it the way you see in magazines and on Pinterest. I do not buy organizing things because they just turn into one more broken dream. But I'm ready to take everything out of my linen closet and replace it to look the way I saw in one Pinterest post. I'll measure my closet and I've already located the pretty pink baskets at bed bath and beyond.

I would make this an honest-to-goodness project that I can do over the weekend.

Thoughts? My thought is that I love it.

May challenge?

I have to measure my shelf space and I will draw a schematic of how the baskets would fit in my particular space and where I'd store the towels. By the way, the picture I'm trying to emulate has 8 white bath towels. I own four. Then I have two bath towels for visitors. In the model one, the wash clothes are rolled up and in a small pink basket. No lids.

Sorry I didn't see your foot!!

So true about a stitch in time.

Well we had funeral this AM and before we left I did a quick load of towels, which I had time to pop in dryer before funeral. The service was lovely with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren present. Lovely tribute to a kind man.

Then I raced to PO to mail off some packages (yes I've been talking about them for weeks) then just enough time to race home, change my clothes and drink 24 oz of water for the ultrasound. BF was able to drive me, which was really nice. Then I walked halfway home and he picked me up. Pretty successful day off! Nice to have a day off, in fact.

I got to see the woman who drives my car and she is up for a new job outside of the city. She mentioned she's now looking at cars. I told her if she gets the overnight shift she can take my car in the beginning so not to rush into anything. I also told her I'm getting ready to go car-free and that if she wants my car, she can figure out how much it's worth and she can have it for half that, and yes I'll take payments. She doesn't have to take it, I'm just trying to make things easier for her while also pushing myself toward a decision for my own life.

I cleaned the litter box and took out the trash and recycling. It is a beautiful day here. Sunshine, slightly cool, lovely.
I'm reading a good book and am about to lay down in my beautiful bedroom and read. I know I'll fall asleep so I'll put an alarm on so I don't miss jeopardy. That guy is from your neck of the woods, Tillie.

Great that you are hanging out your laundry. It will be so nice and fresh. What did you cook?

Good Afternoon Anybody

Cool day here.
Tomorrow is predicted to be cold, maybe rain too.

I did two loads of laundry and have it out hanging on the clothes line.
Cooked some stuff, used up some random ingredients hanging around in the pantry.
Tastes pretty good and is very filling.

Noticed two of my dresses need a tiny little bit of mending and will do that in a minute.
A stitch in time saves nine.
That just means take care of it when it's small because if you wait it will need even more stitching later.

OUCH!
You ran over my foot!

;D

Quick drive by just to say goodnight.

Hi Subclinical
Thank You

WOW! YEA! for finishing glazing, house nearly tetrised and a new blouse!

WAY TO GO!!! for doing so FANTASTIC at the sale! 😀

Very happy you will be able to work in the garden.
Wishing you a bountiful harvest.
I keep thinking about you having those fresh beets.

Tillie, here's hoping everything gets fixed!

((((Hugs)))) for CM. You are a good friend.

Tatoulia, I am glad you have your sunlight back! Good job with all your appointments and fixing things with muffins.

I finished my glazing today, and we have the house nearly tetrised. I was early for the glazing (the studiowasn't open yet) so I visited the nearby thrift and bought a nice linen/cotton blend shirt for $1.07.

I got my check from the sale and it is quite a bit better than I expected! In fact, 20% over "hoped" so that was a good thing!

Trying to get the garden and the end of the school year in place.

Good Morning Everyone

Tatoulia, so sorry that the laundry pod wasn't along in the pocket.
Hope you were able to rescue the items.
Wishing you all the best on Monday's test.

Clear blue cloudless skies.
Much cooler but not cold.
Want to swap out the curtains in my room with the Summer curtains but figured that in two weeks time I will be doing the ceiling repairs and have to take them down again I may as well wait.
I hate always having to wait for something else to be done before I can do what I want to do.
The swamp cooler is all set up and ready to use
but....
when I turned it on the pump worked fine but when the blower fan kicked on it tripped the breaker switch again and again.
Steven has the cooler all taken apart and the blower motor removed because he believes that the bearings thingie is frozen up and not spinning and tripping the circuit.
I really hope he can get the unit all put back together, he's not very mechanically inclined.
He tried fixing my washing machine once with a hammer and the thing caught on fire, he completely destroyed it.

Hello Tillie! It's sunny and windy and cool now. I'm back from my walk and I've showered.

I left out the part of my subway pass, keys, and phone being in the same pocket as the pod. Clearly there was an assault. 🙄

Now that mammogram is done, I have pelvic ultrasound on Monday afternoon. That isn't entirely pleasant either but such is life. I am grateful to get excellent medical care and to have insurance that covers it. I have a deductible but my company reimbursed the deductible so it's fine. Plus I'll probably reach it with these two tests. Not sure. I haven't paid a lot of attn to it over the years. I am lucky.

Okay making dinner and reading a book. I've showered and am in my pjs. Will get mom out tmr.

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Hi CriticalMass
Glad you were able to take bunnies to the nursing home this morning.

Good that your friend is able to respond to you at times.
Even when she can't, she knows. ((((HUGS))))

YEA!!! for a bunny with attitude!
Watching his diet is probably the best way to keep him from doing that again.

Hi Tatoulia
Sorry for the upsetting phone call but relieved that it was just from her not eating.
YEA! for the muffin remedy!

Tide pods can break?
How messy!
Good thing it happened in the jacket pocket.
WAY TO GO! getting that mammogram taken. ((((HUG))))

WOOHOO! for enjoying your new sneakers and getting in lots of walking.

Hi Subclinical
We know you are super busy this weekend but are wishing you all the best with the floor project.
(((HUG)))

Just been doing a little of this & that around here.
Can't really tell that I did much but it all adds up, eventually.
Last several days I have been hearing the voice of an Oriole but couldn't catch sight of him until today.
They are such clowns, entertaining to watch.
I have seen them hang upside down by their feet to drink from a Hummingbird feeder.

Cm thank you for stopping in again. I didn't mention bunny earlier. So grateful it was just a blip.

We should all have a friend like you to sit by our side. Keep up your strength. Glad you got to the senior center.

You said it perfectly- mom was hangry.

I'm going out for a walk. Clean sheets on bed and finished two loads of laundry. Would love to do my towels but would rather get another walk in. My new sneakers are wonderful.

Eating lunch, will go to the hospital to see friend when done. She is definitely aware I'm there at some times when less sedated. It's a trick to balance her sedation but keep her blood pressure up; it has been pretty low. She'd had some bleeding and was receiving a transfusion.

Little bunny here seems completely recovered, full of attitude. Thanks be to God! It was so unexpected, that bunny is young and healthy, but we'll watch his diet super closely, maybe not give any treats. We try to give healthy stuff and no junk, but modifications may need to be made on an individual basis. Sometimes bunnies just get kind of out of whack during molting season, it could have been that.

Took my big two bunnies for a nursing home visit this a.m. - it was early enough that I could fit it in, and it felt kind of grounding and therapeutic for me as well.

Tillie, I am so glad that not only will you get the roof done but it will be covered by insurance. You've needed some happy to look forward to! 🙂

Tatoulia, sorry your mom and you had a difficult time; hope she will be steadier. My mom was diabetic with some degree of vascular dementia in her final years. It is a struggle when something is wrong, and especially if they get "hangry" or something - very stressful to deal with. Hugs to you, and glad it all got straightened out.

Hi SubC - hope ceramics, teaching, goats, and everything are doing well! Pretty busy time of the year.

Till next time

CM

I am sorry about your friend, CM. You are bringing her much peace and love. You are comforting her at her most vulnerable time and we all send you strength and prayers.

Oh Tillie what great fun that the butterflies are bringing you a record apricot yield!!!

I'm grateful the roofer's work will start soon. Then you can live safely and put up your ceiling tiles!!!!

Got up just in time to have one cup of coffee and take the subway to the hospital. Mammogram went well with minimal pain. Saturdays are easy-breezy in the hospital and I walked to BF's afterward. We had delightful muffins and scones and now I'm back home. I quickly stripped my bed, put a Tide pod in my coat pocket, and it had split open by the time I was downstairs. So I put the coat in the laundry (winter jacket that is too big now) and I ran upstairs and added jeans to the mix. I'll do the sheets afterward.

Mom called me last night and was nasty. The details don't matter but eventually I got dressed and went to see BF to get some things for mom and then I went to mom's. The rain was torrential and my legs were soaked. It was cold and very rainy. At mom's, I learned from the woman at the desk that she had just been down, very upset and agitated. I then found out that mom had missed dinner earlier, which explained her nastiness on the phone. The girl st the desk said that one of the bakeries has just dropped off baked goods (apparently they bring their leftovers to the assisted living nightly) do I grabbed a muffin for mom and took it up to her. One of the aides had also mentioned that mom had been down. So she had a muffin and a glass of milk and was greatly improved when I left.

She can't keep food in the house because she eats mindlessly. I'll still get her raisins and tuna and graham crackers, etc, but she eats right through them. She probably had tuna in the house but she was out of bread. Plus once she's gone beyond her meal hour, there's no talking to her. I didn't mention any of her nastiness when I got there. I guess I'm learning. But it all fell into place once I found out she had slept through dinner.

One year ago was when I saw brother for the last time. Just what I needed to get my life together and to be happy.

Wishing everyone a peaceful day.

Good Morning Everybody

Beautiful morning, have all the windows & doors open to let it in.
Today is predicted to get up in the 80s but by tomorrow the high is supposed to be down in the 60s.

The Blue Flax flowers are blooming this morning and the Lilacs are still going strong.

Baby Bunnies are out in force and that has brought the Coyotes in.

Today I need to do some tidying up and cleaning.
So excited that the roof repairs are scheduled to be done!