I'll take the badger for now, CM. I'm sorry for the monkey wrenches. I'm so sorry.

Tillie I cut the cable cord in 2012 and bought a Roku. Fantastic product. Then I went to mom's and did the same thing. Then to brother's. Then gave one to sis and BF for Christmas that year. Extraordinary. Never looked back.

I'm still at work and I will write more later.

Chin up, CM. We will take care of you.

Still struggling

Fragmented thoughts

Roommate has a flat tire, and helping her deal with it will mean tomorrow is disrupted as well as Saturday.

Right now I am beyond even giving a badger's hind end about the stupid clutter. It's my overall sanity I'm concerned with. I shall be able to maintain it, I think, but it's kind of like those scenarios like in Star Trek where the ship needs to shut down all nonessential functions and divert every bit of available power to shields and basic life support.

And hope to make it to the nearest Starbase for repairs and maintenance. CM out.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
You do know how to eat an entire elephant, right?
One little bite at a time.
😉

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Thanks for the drive by.
Have a great day!

Hi Subclinical
WTG! getting dd's bed ready!!!
Please don't skip your class if you possibly can.
That is something you are doing for you and the arts you love so much.
Too bad your little manure spreading assistants can't be enlisted to dust, vacuum and wash dishes too.
Just like the squirrels & birds do in Disney movies.

Good Morning BADGER

Was afraid this would happen...
All that crawling around on hands & knees, reaching & stretching in weird positions has made me all stiff and sore and my neck stiffness is giving me a headache too.
Taking today off from "work".
Kitchen is clean, there's some already cooked food to eat in the fridge.
Laundry needs doing but it might rain by noon.
On ROKU, Popcorn has put up a whole bunch of "hoarding buried alive" episodes to watch. 😉
Waiting for "TUBI" to add even more episodes of "HOARDERS".
I love my ROKU.

Badger is at your house, CM. Tillie I'm glad you got your composting done and SubC your husband is a gem.

Need to run off but wanted to check in.

Yay CM!

Do you want to share any ideas?

Tillie,

I'm glad your lavender is happy! Good luck spreading your manure. My little assistants spread the manure out themselves and it just composts in place. Not usually where I would want it, but when you give somebody else a job, you have to let them do it....

The housework is important because my parents are coming tomorrow. They are getting here at lunch time while I am at work and letting themselves in. I did get dd's bed ready last night, so everyone at least has a place to sleep. Also on my "minimum" list is sweep/vacuum and dishes.

I'm ready for my meeting at school today and to teach today, but not tomorrow. I might skip swiming today so that I can pick up the trees I ordered from the county soil and water people. Otherwise, I have to pick them up after school tomorrow and get home even later.

More things that need to be planted... there are just not enough hours.

I could also skip my class today - i've done nothing to be ready for it. but I really don't want to. I can't take the next session, and it's an important community for me.

I did drop off the recycling yesterday, and I got some great positive feedback from one of my students. (I also got handed a hot mess to solve by another student - which used up my lunch break, but being entrusted with it was another form of positive feedback)

Ok, one foot - i'm Running late on chores.

((((HUGS))))

CriticalMass 😀

See, this is precisely why I love you gals. I could feel your prayers or good thoughts - and strategies are coming to mind.

Pass the */#%÷!? Badger, CM's back in the game.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
You are correct, it won't be this way forever.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other and little by little you will get to where you're going.

I know that depressing feeling of always falling behind and never getting anything of substance done.
Those kinds of thoughts and emotions always amplify the situation.
Once you have the chance/motivation
you will be able to more quickly make more progress than your thinking is telling you it will take.
(((HUG)))

Work on letting go of disappointment.
Disappointment about the sunporch
disappointment about the condition of the storage
disappointment about your mental outlook.
Keep faith, find quiet time and listen for the answers you seek.

Hi Tatoulia
Suggestion for the extra storage box if you don't find another use for it...
Open another closet door and fill that box with donations and cleaning Fairy gifts.

What color are you dying your hair?
Blue, purple, green, pink, red ????

YEA! for keeping up between cleanings!
Most times it's just a matter of putting things away, wiping up little spills and a bit of sweeping.

Hi Subclinical
That was sweet. 🙂

OK, here's the plan...
Do the things that are absolute necessities.
Let the housework slide because you can catch up with that later.
REST, rest, rest, sleep, sleep, sleep.
You are running yourself thin.
We do NOT want you getting sickly or anemic again.
Remember you are also a number one priority. (((hug)))

Cats and I went outside and did a good amount of work.
Got down on my hands & knees under the lilac bushes and pulled out a whole bunch of sticks & leaves & raked them all away.
Planted my new lavender and it has shown no signs of wilt at all, yea!

Came in about 1:30pm and cleaned that disgustingly messed up kitchen while the cats worked on their naps.

The terrifyingly huge hoard of vicious blood thirsty butterflies has settled down to a normal & safe number.
The Finches and cats are relieved.

When I was at WallyWorld yesterday I saw they had a supply of composted chicken manure in stock.
Asked Steven to please pick me up 4 bags before they are all gone.
He did that today.
Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I might get out & spread some of that around.

Sprayed around outside the house with bug barrier where I get black widows and other spiders.

So now, except for maintenance, feeding & watering and weeding and bug control,
my garden yard area is all cleaned and under control.
Looking forward to seeing how much easier I have made things for myself this year.

CM, "almost 3/4"?! You are more than 25% done! That is great! I would say I've been hovering between 10 and 20% progress on every area I've tackled and i'm pretty pleased with myself!

Sometimes it just feels overwhelming, but you can rest and recover and we will keep passing the badger around until you feel strong enough to take him on again.

Tatoulia, nice job on clearing out the winter stuff and putting away the bedspreads!

Tillie, did you get to enjoy your outdoors?

I was prepared for school today, and it went well, but I am getting tired and starting to fall behind. Not finishing the glazing I want to do, not ready for my class as a student tomorrow, tomatoes are getting spindly from not being repotted, house is still messy, Dd still doesn't have a bed for Friday night, and lesson plans aren't together for Friday. My list keeps getting longer instead of shorter but I just don't have the energy to clean, create, and plan in the evenings.

Dh was fixing himself some leftovers earlier, and I walked over and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arms around me and said (encouraging, not sarcastic) "hey! Congratulations! You got off the couch!" (Then he asked if I wanted some food, but I had already eaten.)

One foot in front of the other...

CM we are standing by your side and shoring you up. We know how hard it is to tackle things. And it can be discouraging. Trust me, it really does get easier, not harder, with time. Money back guarantee!!!

I know that I am fortunate because I'm not terribly creative and I don't do any craft activities. Sure I enjoy baking and I enjoyed my cake decorating class, but I didn't feel the urge to buy every decorating thing. Similarly I used to knit but I never felt the urge to buy more and more yarn. My mother is that person. But not being very good at crafts has consistently stifled me. Collecting things?well I haven't resisted one cute thing and I was the duplicates and triplicates and Justin Case and sale items, etc. I am much, much, much better now. Completely cured of duplication and buying due to being on sale. I'm also over getting cute stuff. Lately I've been buying a lot of clothes and I attribute that to my renewed confidence and positive body image from my 30 lb weight loss. But I have to curb that, too. Thank goodness for the no-buying challenge. But I still struggle to see how I have too much and I still struggle with decision making and with facing certain obstacles.

What I'm trying to say, my dear CM, is that you are creative and talented and that brings a much different skill set to sort and make decisions. You have no idea how much I wish I could sew doll clothes. I wish I could make a quilt. It's not in the cards for me. My sister is an artist and a quilt maker and gardener and cook and sculptress. I buy art, in insane quantities. Not any more, but I did in the past.

And despite these differences, I know you can do this, I believe in you, and I stand by your side.

I'm battling demotivation, depression at times, crankiness at times. Disappointment too. The way the month of March was still so wintry, yet flew by. Fears of April being a mad rush. Roommate and I have about written off the sun porch and I feel more trapped. Storage unit is almost 3/4 as bad as the old one clutter wise.

Don't get me wrong,I am not giving up, and I may have a new idea or two as far as a plan of attack. It's Lent and that's the spiritual meaning really - in the desert, keeping the faith in the answers that will come when God means them to come. Resisting despair one day or minute at a time if that's what it takes. Doing what I can, putting one foot in front of the other. Today is payday. I will go do payday tasks.

Hope you are all well. I hate it that right now I'm scattered and just dump and run. It won't be this way forever. Love you all more than you know. You're like my tribe.

Outdoors wins again!

I'm getting my hair cut/colored tonight. I went up to see BF and dropped off dinner for mom and a friend. Now I'm working away here.

I picked up my bedspreads from the laundry folks and will put it away. It can go where the second box of gloves, etc was kept. I'll reassess the storage box. Either it gets used or it gets donated. Badger will decide.

I still have a few things to return at the stores.

I'm not sure if we really will have a storm here. They blow everything out of proportion. The weather has become as sensationalized as the rest of our lives. We need peace and calm.

I am pretty excited about clearing through those winter things so effortlessly. I'm living proof that making these decisions get easier with time. I rarely struggle anymore.

I'm also doing a better job of keeping up in the time between cleaner visits. I'm also toying with the idea of having them come when I'm not here. I'll see how I feel about it.

Good Morning Everybody

WTG! BADGER!
Keep up the fantastic job!

Hi Tatoulia
Have a wonderfully productive work day today!

Six miles!
What great "free" exercise you get!
Hope this next big storm doesn't hit your area as hard as predicted.
Bad weather and dark of night and drunken celebrations are about all that stands in your way of getting in all the walking you do.

YEA!!! for filling bags for donate & cleaning Fairies!!!

Have two plans for today...
Clean inside or get outside and work there.
Beautifully sunny day today, might rain later.
Think outdoors will win again. ;p

The badger and I are sharing an English muffin with jam. We went through the gloves, mittens, scarves. We have duly filled the herd and have the donations in a bag for the cleaners. The badger pointed out a nice, clean duvet I'd forgotten about so the cleaners can enjoy that too. Don't leave me yet, badger, just nap a bit so I can work.

Good morning, ladies! SubC thank you for your care and feeding of the badger. I'll need some solid badger time today.

I am so pleased that the trash service paid off for you, SubC. And once again, you are accomplishing a lot and I am so proud of you.

I would love to shop in your thrift shop, Tillie. A new sunmertime blouse sounds so nice!

I have been very productive at work the past two days and it has boosted my morale considerably. I am going to go get back to work now.

I walked and walked and walked yesterday. Six miles. Pretty good considering it was all for transportation and none for leisure.

I'll write more soon. It's important that I have a good morning at work. I have felt so much more satisfied at work. Tackling stuff. I think it started with the hours I put in on Sunday.

Coffee clinks!

Hi Subclinical

So sorry your yard is soaked.
Even if you found half an hour to plant, you can't until it dries out some.
Sad and frustrating.
Getting out and digging around in the dirt really helps my mood and nerves.

I have loved lavender ever since the first time I smelled it as a tiny girl.

WTG! for swimming 2 miles!

Good luck getting to bed on time with your homework all ready for tomorrow.

Tatoulia, did the badger make it to you? I don't have any extra time left, so I nudged him along. I guess he'll find his way back to CM if you don't need him.

Tillie, I love lavender. I almost bought some at the big farm store, but then I remembered that I already have a ton of stuff to plant and my yard is sodden.

Swam two miles after school today. Trying to get set for school tomorrow and not get to bed too late!

Good Afternoon

Back from town.
All the groceries are put away.
Bought a pot of lavender to put in the garden.
Stopped by the thrift shop, bought a really cute summertime top.

It has rained and hailed really hard off & on today.
There was even thunder and lightening.
The mountains are getting another big blanket of snow too.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Happy to know you and BADGER have come to a peaceful agreement.
You stay focused and he won't attack you. 😉

26 cans!!!!
WTG! cleaning out that much from the property!
Yes, construction really does make a LOT of unavoidable rubbish.

I would like it if we all could go play in Narnia together.

GREAT! that you got the parent emails done.
Having done daycare, I know what you mean (((hug)))

Very good plan to have a set hour to tackle the most dreaded tasks.
The weight of those tasks hanging overhead is very taxing.

Hi Tatoulia
Well, it will be nice to shop at home in the boxes and get out nice new scarves and gloves to wear next Winter.

Have a wonderful day at work. 😉

Have had some nice rain last night.
Should be getting some more today too.
My plan for today is to go into town.
Last time I left the house was to take my baby to the Vet. 🙁
Thinking about going to the garden shop and looking at plants to see if there are any I want to put in the garden.
Don't know if my lavender survived the Winter, maybe buy a pot of that.
Don't feel up to starting it from seed again.

Ah! - I think you should get rid of the mismatched gloves unless you love them and keep one pair of gloves from the box - you deserve nice things.

Anyway Tatoulia, have a good day at work!

I started with the two hardest, most overwhelming things that I had been putting off on my school list. Both involved emailing parents. I don't really enjoy parents (that should be said with understated British sarcasm). It only took me an hour to finish both of them.

So, the lesson from this is that if I set aside one hour a day to do my least favorite task, I can probably stop spending so much time dreading stuff!

Then badger and I had a nice breakfast and did some outside work as a reward. Now i'm Heading back into the school list.

Great great work, SubC!!!! I am so proud of you! And envious of your industriousness!

SubC I bought ear muffs, a scarf, and gloves to go with the new, smaller sized coat. And BF gave me some gloves and hats (throw-away types of things he buys each year for the neighborhood kids). So I wore those. And I had a pair of mismatched gloves that also were pressed into duty. Which means.....I don't need those two storage boxes of things in my closet. I will take them out and decide what to donate and what to give to the cleaning fairies.

I'll get ready for work now. Cheering everyone on!

I do sell eggs sometimes - when I have extra. I used to do the farmer's market, but dh resented the lost Saturdays.

People bring me egg cartons constantly. I take the extras to the food bank (when I am going - it has been a while.)

I keep meaning to tell you guys the total on the trash service project - 26 cans. So, in two years, we accumulated 26 cans of what my mom calls "real garbage" that seems huge to me, but a lot of it was from the construction project. We'll see how I do in the next two years.... wonder how much of the house will be done then...

I must do my school stuff this morning. I have my desk set up and a nice cozy spot for the badger, and I will get started as soon as I finish my coffee.

(I need to tackle my closet eventually too. I was feeling guilty about that when I bought the skirts. But I would rather go play in Tatoulia's closet and go to narnia. Or maybe Tillie's place.)

WAY TO GO!!! Subclinical!

Laundry, dishes and a guest room done!

Do you sell any eggs?
We have a couple of women around here to buy eggs from.
It really helps if you bring an empty egg carton with you.

OK, good to know that BADGER is partial to chocolate.
Can use that fact to lure him where needed.

Be brave, get those pretty new boots dirty. 😉

No problem on the badger. I should probably kept him overnight, but he's heading to you at lunch time!

You are doing great actually. - keeping up and cleaning out! (How did you get through winter with no gloves and scarves?)

Tillie, my socks are brown. Maybe he thought they were chocolate.

I'm glad you are getting garden time with the cats.

It's supposed to start raining here Thursday and continue for a week. I'm glad I gave my new boots, but they are so pretty i'm Not looking forward to getting them all muddy!

The big store has chicks all the time, so tempting as they are, I can always wait and come back to the chick zoo for another fix. I might get some in a few weeks, though, after the visit and the art show, because I'm down to 9 hens.

The last load of laundry big enough to bother with is in the wash. One load is in the dryer, and the rest are put away. I ran the dishwasher, and there is a room ready for my parents.

School stuff first in the morning.

WOW! Tatoulia

Are you auditioning for the Cleaning Fairy role???

WAY TO GO!

Wonderful that you were very focused today at work too.

YEA! for dropping off a mail order return too.

Sleep well tonight, you have earned it.

Finally got my aversion to online shopping under control and ordered the ceiling tiles from Amazon.
Now to get the roof fixed before I install them.
Meanwhile, I can paint them so they will be all ready to put up.

WTG!!! BOOTS!!!! Yay!!!! And I love your thrift shop finds too! The skirts sound fantastic! Yay BOOTS. Thanks fir getting the badger off of me today!!!!

I kept up today. Garbage out. Cat box clean. Recycling out. Shredded all the mail. Wiped up the kitchen including the combo trash/recycling can. (Which has worked out beautifully for me). No papers on my desk and I was super focused at work. Very productive and satisfying.

I'm glad you and kitties got some fresh air. I went to PO with BF to drop off a return. Clothes. Going back. I swept up too. So I'm working on doing normal stuff. Increasing my repertoire.

YEA!!! YIPPEE!!!!
How wonderful to know that now your feet will be dry even on the muckiest of days!!!

Hope you have the opportunity to enjoy your new skirts soon.
Darts are easy to put in soon as you figure out the placement.

WAY TO GO! BADGER! 😀
Keep up the great job!

What color were your socks?
Once I was raising up a baby Magpie and he would attack my feet relentlessly whenever I wore bright pink socks.
He also attacked and tore up any bright pink flowers (carnations) that dared to bloom in my garden.
Timmy was weird. ;p

I just love when I find the kinds of beads that interest me at the thrift shop.
Plus they cost 99% less than buying them at a "bead store".

I make a point of staying far away from the tack & feed shop when those so cute tiny chicks are available.
There was a substantial chicken coop on the property when I moved in but Steven said I couldn't have any chickens, so I tore the coop
down.

Cats and I went out and did a little gardening, very little.
Supposed to rain but the clouds are high and very thin.
Maybe later today?

Well, I was feeling stressed out and edgy and I tried to get the badger to lie down on the couch so I could pet him, but he wouldn't stop chewing on my socks. So I took him shopping.

We drove up the highway to the BIG farm store, and we bought BOOTS!

Well, first we stopped at the little thrift and bought a cute cotton skirt in a summer print and a classy silk skirt we are hoping dd's bff can dart in at the waist for us (at $2.50 it seemed like a good gamble) and a mat made out of these really cool flat bamboo beads (80 cents for 132 beads...) so much jewelry potential I couldn't resist. Plus i'm thinking about doing some multimedia with the 100 clay cylinders project and these would be cool...

THEN we went to the big farm store and tried on lots of boots and walked around and read all the funny t-shirts and admired the chicks and the duckies and I was worried about the badger, but he was content with the free popcorn, and we got some potting soil and then he reminded me that it was way past time to go home and toss another load of laundry in.

So we did.

WAY TO GO!!! Tatoulia!

Wonderful that you are shopping at home too and can now use & enjoy what you have there. 🙂

Happy April

Hi Subclinical
You're welcome
WAY TO GO! getting pottery things done!
Getting ready for the sale in two weeks takes priority right now.
Shouldn't take more than a day to ready the rooms for company, right?
Eating is always a priority too as well as sleeping and bathing.
YEA! for doing laundry, emptying dishwasher and doing daily chores!
And school is always a major priority.
No matter how aggressive the BADGER gets, there is only just so much you can do in one day. (((hug)))

Hi Tatoulia
DO IT!
Just open the door a crack and take a peek in that closet!
Bet hidden deep inside is a golden chalice or maybe the crown jewels or even Narnia.
Remember that drawer that held silver forks?
It will be an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones.

Weather forecast is for possible rain all week.
If it rains that will stop all the dust storms when the dirt gets wet.
Then maybe I will bother to dust in here.
Makes no sense dusting when the wind just keeps stirring up more & more dirt.

The carport roof periodically makes a loud spooky noise.
Like a death rattle...
Noticed all the birds and cats are keeping away from the area.
Very happy they are being so smart.