Morning, Christy — cleaning and organizing does go through that ‘horrible messy’ stage, doesn’t it. After doing that for my mom’s house when we were going to sell it and our house(so that we could work on it), I think it helps to have a rather ruthless attitude about taking in stuff. We’re trying very hard to not bring in more stuff into the house. if we could only get a handle on books…sigh.

Are you really talking about your house or about the US of A?

Good morning Christy.

Both, really. SIGH

Fortunately, I have a high tolerance for disorder.

So did Beaker turn up, or do you want us to issue an Amber Alert?

hahahahaha…..Beaker was always my favorite — a complete reflection for me of how I always felt in science class — total panic.

Your house stands a much better chance of being cleaned up and tidied. and yes, SIGH.

My house . . . . cleaned up for the holiday company (Scarecrow goes back home this morning) has a couple of major piles of stuff in my room that have been sitting there for quite a while. When I get to the point that I NEED to find something and it isn’t readily available, then I go through the piles and sort it all out. That’s what it takes.

Maybe it takes a support group. Thank you. I struggle with this repeatedly, do not quite have enough space, need to get rid of stuff, etc etc etc. But this is a good time to start again. Sigh…

Morning all! It’s been a loooong time since I was here for “pull up a chair”! Clutter? I live in it. Ack.

I must have missed it– who is the fourth member of your family?

PS..Some of you may have missed the joke discussion on the Get a Room thread. It’s the next morning and Im still laughing…what a bunch.

So it seems that the Sgt. At Arms of the Senate is an old friend of Burris. It just gets weirder and weirder.

He’s on my desk in front of the MAC, safe and sound. He has that crazy hair that those ugly troll dolls used to have — really hilarious.

Waves “hi” to scarecrow, if he’s up having coffee at this point. *g*

You ever hit that wall where you cannot stand the clutter in your house any more? Where even the slightest little pile of anything, or mixed up bit in your cupboards or the junk in your junk drawer sends you over the edge?

gawd no.

which is lucky for me, otherwise they’d have ‘taken me away’ a long, long time ago…..

Good morning, pups. I’m late this morning! Today it’s Collins and Herbert in the NYT. Ms. Collins gives us “The Year-End Quiz,” which she says is one last blast from the past. See how much you’ve failed to repress about the year. Mr. Herbert, in “The Devil Lurks,” says there is no cure for a curse, and the New York Jets football franchise is cursed.

Here they are.

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got apple pancakes this morning. Christy would have to talk about cluttered desks today… I’m about to tear my hair out because I can’t find ANYTHING on my desk. [sigh] I guess after we’ve finished our errands I’ll have to attack it… Have a great day everyone, and I hope you can all find whatever it is you’re looking for!

I have a small stand next to the trash can where I filter the “free information” that comes in the mail. The rest is then dealt with in a catch as catch can method. I still haven’t taken down the chrismas tree since the kids went home. As a youngster we used to keep it up until the epiphany. So I’ll just use that as an excuse until Jan 6.
411 hrs & 35 min

Morning — I’m living in it as well. But I vow that by the end of January, things will be less cluttered. Having my FIL here makes it an imperative — he just won’t survive a bad fall and we can’t risk one happening. So something needs to be done about the toys and books…and soon.

I’m going to box up some of the “not read again and not likely to be” books that we have — all of which are gently used — and donate them to our local library. And the similar toys are going to Goodwill or the homeless shelter at some point this month.

Cardboard boxes, Marion - when the desk gets like that, I put out several boxes to organize the stuff plus one to hit the recycling.

Good morning Christy and Pups. My house, right now, looks like a tornado went through it. Unfortunately, that’s not uncommon here. I’ll get to it later.*g*

My FIL moved in with us a couple f months ago when Mr. ReddHedd’s mother passed away. He couldn’t live by himself — really in need of family care — and so we’ve added a not very steady fourth to our little mix. The last couple of months have been taken up with just getting his doctors transferred out here and figuring out a dialysis schedule and about a bazillion other things, with minimal attention to rearranging things other than getting his room ready and re-doing the living room for wider walkways for him.

But he’s prone to stumbling on things at this stage of his life, and I want to help prevent that as much as possible. Thus, the crazy cleaning and organizing binge. I think it may partially be a stress response to sort of feel like I’m in more control of something…but who the hell knows, I could just be sick of the clutter. *g*

Have I said lately how much I adore tbogg? *G*

Yes, that’s pretty much Mr. ReddHedd’s response. But I’m making him move stuff around for me anyway… (And he’s being very good about it, too. He may not care about the clutter, but he’s at least willing to tote and fetch when asked.)

I love Christmas so that I’m not yet ready to take down all the decorations, put away the Christmas dishes and go back to normal. I’m still feeling festive (I think it has something to do with looking forward to 1/20/09).

I hope you can all find whatever it is you’re looking for!

I’m pretty sure that if she was sitting on my messy desk, I’d notice…. *g*

I used to have a similar set-up when my desk was in the sunroom and I had more space around it. But my FIL is now living in our sunroom (only room on the first floor we could fit a bed because he can’t really do stairs), and my desk is moved into a corner of the dining room where I have very little space for anything else. So figuring out a system to deal with incoming mail will be one of the things I try to do this month. Sooner rather than later, too.

I can’t stay long. I work at the Habitat ReStore this morning. As Mr. Gnome says, not many things get me up early on a Saturday morning, so I must like it a bunch. Yes. Plus it gives me an excuse not to clean house!

Speaking of feeling festive about 1/20, I read an article yesterday that claims that the Repubs just can’t stand the thought of ‘regime change’ and are evacuating from DC for points North, South, East and West. Tough luck, that.

Well, not really, but Im with you. The whole thing was a crack up. Pretty good for the New Year, huh?

That whole keeping safe space is really important, isn’t it, but much more complicated with The Peanut and her stuff. Quite a combination…good luck.

So, what’s everyone else obsessing on these days? Meant to ask that above. Any new year’s resolutions worth discussing out there? Mr. ReddHedd and I were just talking about how much fun it would be to travel more, if we actually had the time and budget to do so, that is. *g*

Our way of handling incoming is that the person who brings it in immediately separates it into piles for each addressee - when that person hits the house, it is their job to go through and pitch into recycling what needs to go there, open and dispose of whatever else they’ve got (put bills into the folder and so on). Otherwise, we end up with a huge pile of junk on the kitchen counter.

My wife calls it her ‘nesting urge.’ I just put it down to hysteria. She’s a cleaner-outer; I’m a keeper because you never know when you’ll need that old instruction booklet for the cider press we got rid of five years ago.

Every once in a while, she insists I throw something away, so I’ve taken to keeping a small cache of likely looking stuff that I can sort of offer up as a sacrifice to the gods of good order and cleanliness when the frenzy strikes her. So far, it’s working.

I hereby firmly resolve that around this time next year, I’m gonna make some really cool resolutions.

Yep — this morning, it looks like a lego factory exploded in the living room. She’s building a fanciful house that would have made Dr. Seuss proud at the moment. But she’s got two hours until grandpa gets home from dialysis, so she’s got plenty of time to mess and then we’ll pick up later.

It’s really tough to manage all of the competing needs here these days. And a bit exhausting, I have to say.

He just left, coffee in hand, pie from Highland Orchard in the trunk along with some left over brisket so he can have at least one home cooked meal when he gets home—a real oddity since his kitchen is used for storing his bicycle. (dont’ tell him I told you)

Shhhhhh…we won’t tell her, either. Sounds like a good plan. *g*

Good tip — thanks! It beats piles on the floor, which simply wind up looking like more clutter.

Sorry - I don’t think it’s hysteria - I think there are people out there who use ‘keeping order’ as a stress-reducer.

I re-did our kitchen cabinets yesterday. Piles on the floor were a bit frightening, I have to say. *g*

But..doesn’t everyone store their bicycle in the kitchen? Mine’s in residence in the front porch at the moment..

Has anyone seen The Reader? Being discussed on NPR; I’ve seen mixed reviews.

Speaking of 1/20/09, I’m having a little party to celebrate (guess I’ll have to clean). I’m ordering everyone a coffee mug to use that night and as a gift to take home. Well, I have one guest who may or may not have actually voted for Obama. She was a Hillary supporter and was definitely hesitant to vote for an African-American. She was funny about it, but she was definitely not comfortable with his candidacy. I found the perfect mug for her. Written on it (using the Obama logo for the letter ‘O’) is “O Crap, We Are So Screwed”.

ours are in the shed. Maybe some day we’ll use them, but we moved to a place that is mostly hills. I’m not that dedicated a cyclist that I want to deal with that. We shall see.

I’m a keeper because you never know when you’ll need that old instruction booklet for the cider press we got rid of five years ago.

Thank heaven we’ve discovered you can download the instruction booklet for just about anything from the wonderful internets toobz. It’s really made a difference in the kitchen drawers, I can tell you! Forget how long to steam asparagus in the rice cooker/steamer? Off to the toobz we go, and there’s the answer.

I work with a woman, whom I like, who still has a Bush/Cheney car sticker; a true believer. I just shake my head.

Heh..I discovered that when I realized that I had no clue of how to use the features on my cell phone and I had thrown away the manual.

Haven’t seen that one yet. But we took The Peanut to see Despereaux and it was wonderful. Highly recommend it, especially if you have kids or you just like a movie that will keep you smiling.

the one instruction book I couldn’t find there was for the Waring ice cream maker. The machine broke a couple of years ago, but I wanted the book for the recipes. No luck. Then I found it a couple of months ago—can’t remember where. Now I have the book to use for a different machine.

that hasn’t opened here yet but we did see Slumdog Millionaire on new years day. Highly recommend.

Football

My daughter inherited anal retentive personality from her mother and I. She would walk in the house at 2 AM after an emergency situation at the hospital and start picking up toys in the Living room. Finally she brought the kids on a special shopping trip where they got to pick out their very own plastic containers for their toys. One for mini cars, another for legos etc. worked well. I’ll probably have anal retentive grandkids too*G*
411 hrs & 10 min

Most cell phone manuals can be located on your “provider” website.

We’ve been watching a LOT of that lately. *G*

Thanks. I did see both Doubt and Milk; really remarkable.

Obsessing, not here. Oops, time to go swim laps, I made 211 miles last year, must go further!

Go Colts.

Nice win for the “eers”.

Good morning Christy and all. You hit a sore spot (literally). As an old timer, who has had children and grandchildren living in the house for about forty years, I think the U.N. needs to solve the lego problem along with land mines. There is nothing so painful to the arch of a bare foot. As older folks lose agility, one lego can bring the whole creaky structure crashing to the floor.

Just looked at the local lists and Milk has finally come to a theater near us. Maybe tomorrow after work. Today I have sermon writing and web site updating to do.

I would be nice to see a Colts Giants rematch even if they are not really the Colts.

Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,

Happy New Year Everyone !, been missin’ y’all

What have you been doing lately?

Mr CBL and I have lucked in to a preview of the Empty Nest phase of our lives - been out riding bikes, bein’ a little wild, getting acquainted with a bunch of new friends . . .fabulous exhale to the intensity that was 08 :D

oh, and that organizing thing …

- took me years to learn the 1 drawer/ 1 cabinet at a time approach - equally therapeutic, lot less stressful than tackling a whole room at once

Clutter is a normal state of irregular things.

Chaos is rare, usually it is a state of unstructured organization.

Some buy and use rollodexes, nature provides a pile-o-dex for free.

Left undisturbed by other organization schemes, the pile-o-dex naturally organizes by time, in an archeological manner. The benefit is that other important items are viewed while looking for another item, triggering recall memories of their location.

If any of the above can be of use, please do so. ;-)

Good morning Christy and firepups!

Christy, here’s a chalkboard message in my cousin Holly’s kitchen:

“A CLEAN HOUSE IS THE SIGN OF A MISSPENT LIFE”

Words to live by! I’ve owned a housecleaning business for years now and know that the perfectly manicured homes inside & out aren’t always the most happiest homes. A little clutter never hurt anyone. Neither do hugs which is something that could get lost if you’re cleaning all the time. ;-)

Thanks…I really do need instructions and hints.

Go Sooners!
411 hrs & 3 min

Christy - I don’t have resolutions so much as I have a short list of decisions that have to get made: Netroots in Pittsburgh? How big a garden (and will all the tomatoes come in when…I’m at netroots in Pittsburgh?)?

Here at Chez Solai, I take care of the inside, Mr.Solai takes care of the outside (yes, there’s some overlap, but basically that’s how it’s evolved). Mr.Solai is much more concientious than I am. He’s also gifted with a good eye for curb appeal. I often think that when strangers enter my home, they wonder what the hell happened.

you must come! Most of us, it seems, didn’t go last year, but this year we will have either lots to celebrate, or LOTS of organizing to do to push the “good” guys into doing the right thing. Wish I was more optimistic, but my bones tell me we’re in for a rough year.

One of the things that Santa brought her this year was a nice organizing bin for her legos. So she has a place to put them all — easily — without them being everywhere on the floor. And it’s portable, so it can go up to her room if she wants to play there. Santa was trying to think ahead this year…

Less than 3 weeks…Can you believe it? Can we wait? Can we renew ourselves? I heard someone talking from the BBC that this is one of the most hopeful periods in decades.

Can I just say how happy I am to have that within driving distance of me for once? *G*

FWIW, I read somewhere that a tip for mail clutter is to never let the junk mail even get in the house. Stop at your recyclable bin on the way from your mailbox and dump the junk mail immediately. Sounded good to me but can’t say I followed it.

Go Sooners!
411 hrs & 3 min

Man, that’s a long wait till kick-off….

Good thinking. It will enable me to demonstrate elsewhere in my war against legos. It may also save you having to explain outbursts of profanity to Peanut.

G’morning, everyone. Need. More. Coffee.

Funny (kinda) topic for me this Saturday morning. I’ve just begun the task of sorting through David’s clothes. This on the heels of kitchen cupboards (two sets of dishes and a huge amount of kitchen goodies gone).

The problem then becomes what to do with the growing mountain of bags and boxes filled with outgoing stuff. I keep eyeballing the weather, trying to find a pickup day when Disabled Vets can take it all away.

LOL. Bait and switch?

Well, I’m always very big on ‘what do I expect to get out of this?’ when I go to workshops and conferences. This year is going to be different - when Netroots doesn’t have ‘The Great Satan’ to work on, what’s the plan? I have not been able to get a schedule out of them so far. Meeting everyone face to face is great, but will I come back a better, smarter, more effective progressive?

hey gal!

a dear friend stitched this for me when the last baby was born:

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
and out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
but I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

I hope that means you’re coming! Planning to take the train from Philly. Hard to believe but it’s a 7 hour train ride across the state!

The countdown is until we can say former president GWB!
410 hrs & 52 min

Need. More. Coffee.

Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

When is Netroots? It was in my backyard last year, but the same time as the state Dem convention, to which I was a delegate. Pittsburgh, eh?

yeah I know - just goofin’.

Where’d you get the counter? I really like it.

I think there will be lots to work on—we’ve got primaries to plan, Blue and Bush dogs to dog, and we need to figure out how to become more effective in pushing our agenda. So far, we’ve been pretty much scorned by the dems in power. I think there’s LOTS we need to work on.

Ergo, I be coffin?

Aug 13-16.

Well, I’m hoping that they have Howard Dean and DFA there to do the campaign bootcamp and candidate development workshops because we’ve got a whole lotta people who deserve to be “primaried.”

Morning, Christy. Yes, I understand that. I’ve been in a situation where I COULDN’T do much about the mess. Our house was leaning after the Corps of Engineer flood of 2005, and before we could fix anything, we had to get it leveled. Since we’ve been doing all the work ourselves and the family has been scattered between two states, the process has been rather drawn out. Meantime, we mostly live upstairs, while the downstairs has been used for tools, equipment, material, etc. I didn’t dare touch anything because “I NEED that!” Whether I felt the need to go into a cleaning frenzy or not was irrelevant.

Well, over the Christmas holiday, both my sons were here, and level the house we did. I now need therapy to learn how to walk on a level floor! And the pent-up cleaning frenzy dam has broken. Tools and material and equipment are being moved back to their various storage area, the yard is cleaner than it’s been in nearly four years. We have repairs to do to the walls, but that’s ok. At least when we do them now, they’ll stay done. Best Christmas present I could have gotten.

Here’s a counter for you.

Chez Solai? LOL Love it! Well, I can attest that housecleaners have cluttery homes and we don’t mind a bit after cleaning other homes all week! It’s a badge of honor. ;-)

Just doin it manually & in my head real easy especially given my high anxiety.
410 hrs & 48 min

(((Barbara)))) Good morning. I had the task with my parents’ things and it was shocking to me how much handling their clothing effected me.

Don’t forget the necessity to dump Reid
410 hrs & 47 min

GOOD MORNING ALL ihave gathered so many props(dishes pillows,fabrics tablecloths) for my web show at shaggydogfarms.com…they fuel my creative respons to the programs…all bought at fleamarkets ,yard sales,some on ebay),SHELVES and my label gun are my best friend

very good - you should like this:

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.

The winners are:

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

3 . Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.

6. Negligent (adj.), describes a co ndition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle (n), olive-flavored mouthwash.

9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.

11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.

12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post’s Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year’s winners:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

4. & nbsp;Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.

8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

9 . Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

10. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

15. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.

And the pick of the literature:

16. Ignoranus (n): A person who’s both stupid and an asshole(My personal favorite).

I hope to make it this year. Last year, Mr. ReddHedd was in Phoenix with both his parents in the hospital, which made my going anywhere pretty much impossible. We could only disrupt The Peanut so much, ya know?

But this year, we will hopefully be able to manage it somehow in the juggling. Keeping both a 5 year old and an 84 year old safe and healthy has proved to be a bit of a challenge, but one we’ll try and figure out between now and then.

{{{{Barbs}}}}…hugs for peace aand happiness in the New Year

cool - thanks.

It is shocking, isn’t it? Most of his clothes are packed away a bit damp. Hard time trying to figure this all out, since his immediate family has gone feral and I may need to move elsewhere.

We’ve had a discussion the last day or so. IF we could dump Reid, who would we want to replace him? Sadly, there’s no obvious answer that Scarecrow and I could come up with, but I do think it needs to be a conversation on FDL and elsewhere.

Who would you want to see in that job?

Love this poem! And so true, isn’t it? It’s all about priorities and what’s really important.

You have five children, Cbl2? Holy moly. ;-)

Oh, I am SO glad to hear y’all finally got the house levelled! Hooray for you — what a wonderful Christmas present, indeed. :)

youre one of a kind

Whoa - wait a minute. Whose name or names is/are on the title to the house?

B, What’s behind your need to move…if you can say?

I think Christy’s Beaker would be more equal to the task.

Mommy Dearest

As would my cat, Toby, but sadly, they are not eligible.

Clutter. Books. Hard copies of articles off the intertoobz. Clothes. All with the mandatory coating of tiger hair. The thrill of being an old divorced guy. The trick is to know which pile contains what.

No outfit is complete without tiger hair.

House in a trust, ultimately going to his kiddos. We thought it was a good idea (per jayt, 12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.) We were wrong. They have become a snarling pack. Reasons not altogether clear. Too weary to take it on. Sounds pathetic, doesn’t it? Just sad, though.

Would be if Paterson appoints them as place holders.

Oh Boy! Harry is in deep doodoo now.

Me thinks the conversation about picking another majority leader may come sooner rather than later.

One can hope.

i know who i would like,…..Ruuuuuuuss

No outfit is complete without tiger hair.

Haven’t had a cat for a while. Forgot this essential piece! *g*

We all understand weary…made worse by all that “stuff.” Maybe you will have a remarkable Epiphany when you come south into the warmth…things may brighten up.

hahahahaa,tell me about it…i have a separate closet for the little black dresses,sweaters coats …hermetically sealed in plastic…from my hoardes…G

Actually I would like to see Jim Webb or Sherrod Brown
410 hrs & 34 min

Ah, yes..I can see the scenario unfolding, complete with phone calls, dropped hints, etc. etc.

Dorgan.

Whoever it is, he or she needs to be able to go nose to nose with Mitch—and win.

As much as I like Russ on many things, he’s made some stunningly bad votes.

Good morning everyone.

I live in a very small house with no basement. It’s a former summer cottage in what was a Methodist summer camp. Relatively speaking I do have a lot of closet space for the size of my house, and it’s always a challenge to stay on top of things.

One thing that I did do which has helped. I moved my shredder from my studio into the kitchen and I “process” the mail daily. It gets opened, and anything that needs shredding gets it right away, and I recycle the rest.

A friend gave me a pasta machine with a couple of attachments recently. I was so excited until I brought the box home and had to find a place to store it. I did find a place. I will be making some pasta this weekend.

I’ve been obsessing on what comes next in my life. I do have an idea of what that is, the sweeping change blowing through is offering me an opportunity to change directions. Fighting the change is not an option. It’s all good.

sweeeet !

good to see ya, hope you and the mister are ok

Crikey! “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

i went through something similar with my family,and ending up losing my property,to mom,brothers and sisters ,who sold it for 1/4 its value! family values

Jane had a post yesterday about Reid messing up the fight to seat Franken. I read it quickly at work and couldn’t read the comments or comment myself. Did anyone suggest that he did it on purpose? How many fuck-ups can we attribute to stupidity before we begin to wonder who’s side he’s actually on?

I’ve been obsessing on what comes next in my life. I do have an idea of what that is, the sweeping change blowing through is offering me an opportunity to change directions. Fighting the change is not an option. It’s all good.

Longing for the “it’s all good” part!!

He’s on the mend. Me, we still haven’t figured it out. Right now my acupuncturist is working on my Yin.

Tried that. Problem was getting the article from the closet onto the bod. By the time I got to the door it had turned into an exercise in futility.

hahahahah,i got one too,at a house sale,basil,linguini…ps of course,im counting carbs after the holidays,but next month

I think we began wondering that a while ago. No conclusions to my knowledge.

Friend just sent me this email:

Don’t you think Obama should step up and say something from his bully pulpit about the Franken race if Franken is declared the winner by the canvassing board?

Someone has to step up now and start shaming the Repugs for playing petty politics… they tend to do this well against the Dems… lets see the Dems at the national level step up and do it.

They are going to try to get Reid to deny seating Franken if he is certified but Normie (remember the days of asking Franken to concede out of common decency?)keeps up his court challenges that likely will die.

me too,i know my direction,but this lousy econmy does not help matters

With time, even the pain will take on its own poignance…a testament to knowing that you were well and truly loved by one you well and truly love[d].

This is an entirely possible outcome.

hahahahahaah,you know i have 6 serious shedders….oh white is your friend………,heheheheheeh

Use it well. When I was a kid I helped my Mom make the pasta for the holiday meals. I hope to make it somewhat as good as she used to.

I’m going to start with some sheets for lasagna and so some free form versions to start.

Who would you want to see in that job?

Senators - by - Seniority

Normie needs heavier doses of hometown shame on you you lying hypocritcal liar. He knows he’s toast…time he gets some Minn burn.

(((Prairie))) Thanks.

Not sure…but I think it was the stupidity of unintended consequences.

mornin’ pups, just stopped in to catch up on posts.

clutter? unorganized? it’s hard to clean around it, too—wanted to tell people about the fly lady. mom discovered her a few years ago and changed her life….also changed how i go about doing things.
this amazing site focuses on one area of the house a week, so by the end of the month you’ve done the whole house, with little quickie mission things inbetween..makes everything much more doable.

http://www.flylady.com/

Leahy. Interesting! Dodd. Feingold?

House in a trust, ultimately going to his kiddos.

If you can get your hands on the original document, look to see whether there isn’t at least a life-estate left to the surviving spouse.

i.e. Surviving spouse retains ownership of the property until he/she also passes away, at which time the property can devolve.

If it’s there (and gawd knows it should be, or “hello, Legal Malpractice!’) you will be able to (very politely of course) tell the feral pack to fuck off and die.

i survived it,and it taught me a great deal,about some humans nature,shocking ,but my devotion now is to the animal species,and how THEY CAN make us much better human beins,they live in the moment like Buddhist monks

I was looking at either Leahy or Jack Reed myself.

Only one option makes sense to me: Dorgan.

Jane’s upstairs. Hesitate to tell you because I love PUAC mornings! But Gaza needs our attention again, still, already.

I think the seniority system is about as much BS as the 60 vote thing.
410 hrs & 21 min

you too..go get some sun dried tommatos…i must take off 10 lbs before innauguration,very dear friend and i are going,XMAS COOKIES AND CAKES …KILLED ME

This one is not about seniority. If it were, we’d have Teddy or Byrd.

back on topic for a sec -

when we had to make a serious interstate move a few years back, mr cbl put a huge dumpster in the driveway - can you say cathartic ? may not have been pc, but I loved it !

btw, the rule was, if it wasn’t memento, sentimental, etc, if it hadn’t been used in 12 months, it went bye-bye

Late to the lake this AM — hard to wake up after watching the postgame Sportcenter.

I love the discussion of clutter/cleaning — used to be a regular topic with my shrink. He saw it as a productive way of working through change/agita.

Worked for me. When raising my small daughter alone in a small NYC apartment, we had an appointment Saturday twice a year. She picked the music and the food. We spent the day “deep” cleaning, singing, laughing and choosing what could be donated.

Those are good memories and she developed some great habits in that regard. After she and her fiance moved in together this year, they did same. However, she one upped me. After they were finished and organized, she had the great idea to invite in some classmates from their law school. They got first dibs on anything that was to be donated and apparently were thrilled. They’ve all resolved to make this a mutual tradition.

It’ll come with time. Honor you feelings and allow them time they need to be expressed. Let them out and release them. As you do anything your fear will lessen because you’re letting it go.

When we moved across country, the mantra was “$1 per pound.” That’s what it cost us to move it. Was it worth spending $1 per pound?

We did get rid of a lot of stuff. But we have since accumulated lots more. It’s rather embarrassing.

A friend of one my co-workers died. She lived with another lady and the house was in both their names. Dead lady’s family descended upon the place like Attila and his hordes one day while the other lady was at work. Came home to find these people loading items from the house into a van. Called the heat and a very ugly scene resulted. Police made the invaders put everything back when they were shown all the legal docs. I’ve heard some real horror stories like this.

That is a great idea. I’m thinking The Peanut and I will weed out her toys together, and then we’ll take some to the local homeless shelter and battered women’s shelter and she can see some of the kids who will be able to play with them. She’s old enough now that it would make an impact — and I think it’s time to start making certain she understands that with the good fortune to have a family that cares for her comes the responsibility to care for others as well.

I thought Jack Reed died in Russia in 1920.

Please…did that rule include the books?

excellent. Great lessons to learn and then to teach.

Yes to life estate. But this is not a good house in which to age. High on a hill (tough access), lots of stairs, and a lifetime of my sweetie’s accumulation of stuff. In order to sell it, though, would require crawling to feral pack (one is trustee, another idea that was badly conceived — make of that what you will *g*) I just want to be finished with it. The house I have loved for 12 years now seems an albatross.

years ago, my step-sister andher partner had a

‘good housekeeping isn’t everything’ poster in the kitchen.

When I first moved in here, when the change of seasons would happen, I would do a top to bottom cleaning and reorganizing. That fell by the wayside, and maybe that will be resolution this year.

I really would like a place that delivered breakfast to your house.

Mornin’ Rev - horrors, no! although all but the most fave kiddy books went to a shelter

(Warning: another “it’s all about me” comment) Tears, MM. It just this second hit me that I am afraid. Urgh!!!

cute.

I like Jack. He votes with us more reliably than most. He’s a Navy (I think) vet. He is a man of few words, but doesn’t seem to back down. I think he’s worth exploring.

Magnet on my fridge says: “I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning, just not as it applies to me.” *g*

I have done that group-share thing with clothes…it worked so well as it seemed easier to part with that kind of group, fun, recycle etc. Then the outcome was that anything left went to the women’s shelter.

I don’t think I can remember a new year turning that has been filled with such strong feelings of both hope and fear. It certainly can be overwhelming.

Have a great time. I have some plum tomatoes that I dried this summer so I’ll gind them up and add to the dough. Yum!

Former Army Ranger.

I wanna live a life of danger
I wanna be an Airborne Ranger

yes ,clothes toys,even unused shampoo make up,nail polish lipsticks…RECYCLE,they sell them for 25 cents(incidentals)…salvation arrmy takes it all here…its very good

You’re absolutely right, and it’s helpful (though kinda sad) to bear in mind that this wobbly, scaredy thingie isn’t just in my little world!

Barbara, just honor it. That much change & loss must be scary along with sad. Take very good care, including rest/meditation. Thanks for letting us in. B

Not knowing what it is gives it power.

Fear is an intangible that has no power of it own, only the power it’s given.

Now that you know what it is, take it’s power away.

youll laugh ,i put on an Opera,have a good cup of coffee,and get all my chores done in the 2+ hrs…its great

Believe me, you are not alone. I’ve been on the emotional roller coaster for a while. Right now feeling the need for some upward direction—though rationally, I’m in a good place. The irrational can take over so easily.

I always clean out the freebies at hotels when I travel so I can donate them. The womens shelters love them.

Be not afraid. It is an opportunity to really assess what you want to do and how to go about it.

my pal is black,we have been friends for 25 years…i am positively ecstatic for her and all her peeps…it is so vey amazing that this could happen,i decided we HAD to be there

What a great idea.

Salvation Army takes it all…they sell socks scarves,hats gloves,everything you can imagine,its wonderful,pots pans,dont take it to the dump,people can use this stuff

you smart cookie

Barbara, (if you’re still here) my heart goes out to you. OTOH, I’d look forward to finding a place that suits my new needs. My son just moved into a small apt. in the middle of a bustling community. He can walk everywhere. Seems like heaven to me. I’m actually looking forward to the day when I can pass on my home to one of my children and find something meant for my new circumstances.

I’m not a fan of Harry Reid, wish he would have kept his nose out of the whole Blago appointment issue, and would like to see the Dems elect a new Senate Majority leader. However, I don’t see anything corrupt about the Majority Leader calling governors who are making interim appointments and expressing preferences. It’s essentially the same thing as Emanuel expressing preference for the Obama Administration. It would be surprising if they hadn’t.

That’s great, it’s a huge moment of our lifetime that you’ll get to experience.

We used to do that a firm where I worked. We adopted a woman’s shelter and reminders were sent out periodically about the program. Also, if people didn’t travel and wanted to participate, they could buy the travel size items and donate them.

You ever hit that wall where you cannot stand the clutter in your house any more? Where even the slightest little pile of anything, or mixed up bit in your cupboards or the junk in your junk drawer sends you over the edge? I hit that this week. And I’ve been on an organizing frenzy ever since.

Hi and Happy New Year Christy! Boyohboy, I could use a heavy dose of what you’re having. My brain reaches that point and then slides right through overload to total disfunction, and I end up playing stoopid computer games.

Help. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up…..

Mebbe if I just drag a big oversized trash bag in the door and start tossing…. hmmmm. Egad. It’s been a decade since we subscribed, and TVGuide still has our address in their “promising customer” file. Reader’s Digest still pesters my mom, who passed over a decade ago….

I’m ready to grab the kitties and my honey, lock the door, and just leave.

i just really cant believe it happened….sigh…smile

Just a note of caution. Some of the Salvation Army’s activities in that regard vary by location. The one here does a lot of “bundling” for clothes to be sold overseas (according to a board member). For that reason, I now try smaller places to donate or give to the local Goodwill which has a new, very large resale space.

Also, for those of you who have books in good condition, there are many places that will take them. It’s not always easy to ferret out exactly where but libraries in prisons and some schools in poorer areas are in despereate need.

I know there will times I will be disappointed in what he does, I’ve already been to be honest however it’s a great moment for the country and as always, in a democracy, it’s up to the citizens to do their duty and make it work.

funny!

and that being afraid part? well, sometimes the more info you have the less afraid you are. cuz then you can explore your options and actually feel like you are doing something about it, even if you choose the option to change nothing….also helps to define it and then express it if it’s emotional only.

so, discussing physical options with a lawyer, (or if it’s emotional, a minister or counselor, someone neutral) can help you clear your thinking and help you to focus. grieving isn’t always just about the person who is gone’s chunk of your life, but in rebuilding confidence in the future and in your every day routine. life skills take a lifetime, it’s ok to get help in ‘honing’ them.

i talked with a mortgage broker i know, not too long ago, thinking of getting a smaller house, one level. i knew of one going at a sheriff’s sale. he said to stay put where i am for now, better off in the long run to wait until after the market rebounds. said i would lose a lot of money by downgrading now. said if i’m worried about wasted space or money, to rent it out or turn it into something i will use. house is pre-approved for 2 family and has it’s own everything but appliances-which can done in a minute, separate entrance and entrance from my level. made me feel better to just talk with someone about it. about the numbers pro and con and the in the in general reasons for staying and moving. felt better right away. gonna stay put and turn the downstairs into a studio. clear all of the junk out. that way, if someone does need an apartment, or want the extra money, won’t be that much effort to make it into one.

has a big stone fireplace and huge covered patio, neither of which i was using since the divorce. (i gave him almost all of the furniture in the house, haven’t built that part up yet in the family room part)
so, if i turn it into a studio, i can use the fireplace and take breaks on the patio, and use the outdoor fireplace thing, too. have friends come over to throw pots and make art. so, talking with someone else can be a good thing.

I’m not a dumper. That’s part of my problem. We’ve survived this long because I save and re-use practically everything. My favorite set of “organizing” bowls for cooking Chinese are little margerine containers from the ’60s, FGS.

So far, I’m finding “good homes” for tons of our stuff, from bird incubators to sterling silver flatware, extra bed frames to garden shovels, gently used crayons to cartons of out-moded computer paper. Jackets, sweaters, winter coats, bedding, wildflower seeds (hand-collected and guaranteed to sprout, ahem).

This is no small problem we have at this house. This is not the junk of a collector. It’s useful. Shelves, cheese presses, canners. [sorry, gang, the hundreds of canning jars are already gone, snapped up in a hurry by a deserving soul who will use them well…)

Yes, I know. I will not simply throw things out. But we must move, and the Mr. has to concentrate on his new knee, and then his ailing hip, and, and….
Yes. Our grown kids live near and are helping.

Still. You ought to see my various “staging areas” along the path to freedom and new homes for some of this stuff. Hilarious ain’t quite strong enough a term for the path that runs through our humble abode.

Newspapers have been being recycled regularly, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. At least I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder. Hubby’s not too sure, but then whenever he starts one of “those” conversations, he’s usually left with eyebrows raised in admiration over all the uses one can find for a piece of plywood.

ditto. hubby thinks i’m nuts. that has nothing to do with it. heh.

P. E. A. C. E. TO A. L. L.

for all love!

PULEEZE!

Just got back here. Thanks!! I have a major discernment thing I need to do, and I know it’s being clouded by world events in tandem with my own life events. You remind me that I really do need to get back with an attorney (mine is hospitalized with metastasizing colon cancer, dammmit–he’s a super guy!) and I do finally have a sit-down scheduled with my long-ago therapist next week. Truthfully, I was thinking about canceling that, but you remind me that I really need to follow through with that. Thanks!!

Especially in winter cold, local food banks are often thrilled to be able to pass along warm coats, scarves, gloves, blankets etc. directly to needy folks. Sometimes that seems the most direct path if you wish to keep your donation in your own community.

Goodwill in our area bundles and takes semi-loads to local distribution center. Doesn’t bother me. If someone needs it, I figure, just feed whatever extra we have into the system ASAP so it can be used. There’s no time to waste in these awful times of want.

Barbara - remember, no matter what, you need to protect YOUR long term interests. Visit your lawyer and talk to him and get him to transfer your case to someone else in his firm(if he is in one) or to someone else that he recommends. When all is said and done, no matter how much you want to walk away, you need some leverage with David’s kids. Take care of Barbara first - always.

corrupt or not, the 3 names he wanted nixed were all male black elected reps. The two names he wanted were a white woman and an asian women, one of them has been elected state wide the other pretty soundly defeated in a congressional race. If his choices were about electability what does that say about him?

Not good. And on tape—even we knew that Fitz was watching Blago for crimany’s sake!

hee hee. A good friend gave me a kitchen ornament years ago. It’ll be on my wall forever. Little clay figurine of a frumpy little hausfrau holding her broom.

Caption at the bottom: “Dull women have immaculate houses.”

Take care of yourself—remember what the flight attendants say with the O2 masks. You have to put yours on before you can do anything for anyone else.

One day at a time.

and..it’s cookie time with PW upstairs.

would your trusted, hospitalized attorney be willing to give you names of other attorneys he trusts? No, that’s not a ghoulish thought, just honest. He should understand.

Our thoughts are with you, hon.

hah i saw one once that said ‘cleanliness is next to boring’.

i’ve been working on clutter, and my house is torn up right now until i get the piles all carted out!! but it’s getting there. i need a ’slave boy’ to deal with the trash and the carting out part.

take care.

take care, and if that attorney is anything like me, when i was in the hospital, i didn’t mind at all when people visited and we talked about their problems, made me feel useful. go visit him and see. if you are able to handle visiting him it would probably mean a lot to him since you know where he’s at, even if you don’t bring up teh other stuff.

marianne williamson wrote a thing that nelson mandela used at his inauguration about how we influence others just by facing our own fear, that in doing that we illuminate others. i bet he’s afraid right now, too. you may be able to help him with that if you can handle visiting him.

take care.

Hook Em Horns. I think we “hooked” your Sooners.