2024 Organize & Declutter

[Iggy aka IG]

 moneysquirrel, soupandstew and everyone else who has been affected by natural disasters.

My anxiety has been, IDK how to describe it.  Anyway, I was looking forward to a relaxing 3-day holiday weekend and last night DH starts rattling off the list of things he wants to get done this weekend.  I immediately felt even more stressed.  So, my plan is to get laundry and other chores done tomorrow and the rest of the weekend relax either outside or in my reading room.  I do need to go to the neighbors daily to feed their critters while they are out of town.

To deal with my anxiety, this morning before work:
-Filled and started the dishwasher
-Sprayed the air fryer so it can soak
-Cleared off most of the main countertop
-Refilled ice trays, put 3 boxes of flavored water cans into the fridge, and filled the egg container 
-This evening I'll take the empty egg carton to my chicken owning friends
-Took the truck to the car wash
-Brought two repotted plants back to the office
-Looking forward to lunch with a friend

And of course, when I rounded the corner to the office building, there were at least four law enforcement vehicles in the street who had a vehicle pulled over.  It's always something!

Happy weekend, friends.

[startsmart]

This has been a busy and full week! I had a board meeting, cohort meeting, haircut, eye exam, volunteer at the food bank, volunteer at the coffee shop, volunteer registering voters, contractor coming to haul away porch debris and the usual work stuff. I’m exhausted!

Next week our grant awards will be announced and there will be over a dozen unfunded projects so I anticipate some cranky folks.

I’m tempted to count my porch debris as decluttering 2,000 lbs or something crazy. I need to get it removed by Wednesday or the city will fine me to remove it. So that’s my weekend plans.

[debthaven]

Take care Iggy aka IG 

[seriousthistime]

I got a new fridge (counter depth) delivered and moved the old fridge to the garage.  I organized my drinks (La Croix and Sparkling Ice) in the old fridge, which meant those boxes and the overwrap are now in trash or recycling, and I've freed up some space in the storage closet. 

Also in transferring the frozen stuff to the garage I saw some things I could toss out, so another four items to the trash.  And the fridge had some leftovers past their prime, so out they go too. 

And most of it will be transferred to the new fridge which they say will take 24 hours to get fully cold or freezing. 

I sat with DGS the other night.  He was getting over a cold.  Guess who he gave it to?  I'm testing negative for COVID so far.  He never tested positive, but I'll continue to test because it's possible it's not his cold but something I picked up elsewhere. 

[debthaven]

I hope you don't get it seriousthistime . DH had a mild case last week when we got home. I was heartbroken. I told the cleaner not to come, she said she didn't care. I told DD not to come, she came anyway. Happily DH was over it by the time DS1 & Co arrived.

Nobody caught it, not even me. (We kept sleeping in the same bed.)

The house is put back together!  We're ready for the next guests lol.  

I still mask for anything medical, and on public transport.

[debthaven]

While I remade the beds today, I realized that DD's mattress was very torn. It's at least 20 years old. I want to replace it. 

DH doesn't agree, and Sept and Oct are expensive months.  

I put a new mattress in my Amazon basket so I can track it. There's no rush but I'd like to replace it by the end of the year. 

[busymom]

Aug 30, 2024 16:02:48 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I hope you don't get it seriousthistime . DH had a mild case last week when we got home. I was heartbroken. I told the cleaner not to come, she said she didn't care. I told DD not to come, she came anyway. Happily DH was over it by the time DS1 & Co arrived.

Nobody caught it, not even me. (We kept sleeping in the same bed.)

The house is put back together!  We're ready for the next guests lol.  

I still mask for anything medical, and on public transport.

   Glad that DH didn't "share".  Covid has been going around my extended family.  I'm actually glad there are no more big gatherings for awhile.

[debthaven]

I finally went to the local pharmacy yesterday. I'll get the infiltration kit at the further pharmacy tomorrow since it's now Sept. (You can only get it right near the clinic.) My infiltration is Friday.

I go back to school on Tuesday.  Work starts slowly but it'll get busier in mid-Sept.

[Opti]

Hope that everyone's encounters with Covid result in nothing or a case that is easily cured on its own if unpleasant.

Learned something interesting at PT the other day, cartilage can be taken from a non-load bearing part of the body and be used to shore up one's knee. Sounds like something I want to investigate. One of the other rehabbers had this done and I discovered it worked on one of my BF's XW's knees. My guess is the recovery time is much less as well.

Looks like thunderstorms for a few hours around lunchtime. Need to get laundry quarters somehow and I might need to open a local bank account in the short term to do so. Stores do not like giving out quarters even if I try to ask for at most $2 to $3 dollars' worth at a time.

Going to work on tying things up today so more filing and file purges.

Rent was paid online
small CC paid for upcoming due date
Order needed stuff from Vitamin Shoppe like Inositol which helps me sleep
More learning of websites
Make salmon cakes using two eggs
Figure out how to get various things done in the next two weeks
this includes getting a ride so I can complete dad's IRA paperwork

Probably make the other box of brownies later this week using two eggs as well
Time to go out and bring the mini rose in and the letter that wasn't picked up. Going to be heavy rain and wind soon
And of course hydrate and do my PT exercises earlier in the day today

ETA- Take a screwdriver or two (flat and Phillips) to the one wheel on the rollator. Looks like something squirrely was done to one of the wheels and it is oriented different than the other three. Not sure if I can get it out and correct that. But it has a very weird wobble I do not remember it having just a couple days ago. It has a washer and something else added to that wheel that feels badly done.

[debthaven]

Opti I looked into cartilage transplants. From what I have read:

- you have to be under 55 (exceptionally older if you're very athletic)
- only a small percentage of the cartilage can be damaged
- it requires TWO hospitalizations so it can end up being more expensive (once to extract and later to reinject)
- most places will NOT do it for osteoarthritis
- they will NOT do it if you're overweight

From what I have read, it is pretty much exclusively used to treat sports injuries in younger/athletic/slim people.

Please don't ask me to send you the articles I read. I did my research in French, since I live in France and wanted to know how it's dealt with HERE. If it's different in the US, that's great.

ETA: My apologies for derailing the thread. This was a one-off post, not the beginning of a conversation.

[debthaven]

Book Club was supposed to be last Thurs but it was cancelled, too many people were still away. 

So I'm hosting next Thursday. It's low-key, not much cooking. I said I'd only host if they carry everything back to the kitchen. Everyone agreed and offered to bring food.  We only have to host once/year, so that'll be me done for the year. We'll be 6 or 7. 

I rearranged DD's shoes so the grandkids now have 4 small shelves rather than 3. DD moved out in 2018 and still hasn't gone through her closet. We bring 1 or 2 totes whenever we visit. 

DS1/DDIL emptied the apartment they sold to buy their new house. OF COURSE THAT STUFF CAME BACK HERE!!! As DH says, the children taketh away, and the children giveth. There's still much less of it than before the movers came in spring. 

They MAY do another van run in late Oct/early Nov with the rest. Otherwise it'll be in Dec.

Sometimes I dream about moving to a 1BR LOL. 

[TheOtherMe]

An observation:  This would be my highest priority  I can complete dad's IRA paperwork if I were short of funds.  

[TheOtherMe]

Sept 1, 2024 14:19:49 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Book Club was supposed to be last Thurs but it was cancelled, too many people were still away. 

So I'm hosting next Thursday. It's low-key, not much cooking. I said I'd only host if they carry everything back to the kitchen. Everyone agreed and offered to bring food.  We only have to host once/year, so that'll be me done for the year. We'll be 6 or 7. 

I rearranged DD's shoes so the grandkids now have 4 small shelves rather than 3. DD moved out in 2018 and still hasn't gone through her closet. We bring 1 or 2 totes whenever we visit. 

DS1/DDIL emptied the apartment they sold to buy their new house. OF COURSE THAT STUFF CAME BACK HERE!!! As DH says, the children taketh away, and the children giveth. There's still much less of it than before the movers came in spring. 

They MAY do another van run in late Oct/early Nov with the rest. Otherwise it'll be in Dec.

Sometimes I dream about moving to a 1BR LOL. 

I know a 1 BR is the only possibility if I move to Colorado.  That is not going to happen.  But a 1 bedroom I can afford is about 400 sq ft and I can't live like that.

[snapdragon]

I put together my new outdoor coffee table and a coat rack that have been boxed up, 

Yesterday was the last day for green waste until next year (hopefully) and I managed to get more stuff out of the yard. I will still be managing things, but they will end in the landfill per guidelines. 

[Opti]

Sept 1, 2024 17:47:53 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

An observation:  This would be my highest priority  I can complete dad's IRA paperwork if I were short of funds.  

I need to secure a ride to do so and speak to someone at a branch b4 I set it up, so it is one and done. It is important, but the amount involved is less than one month's disability pay. That is why it was not my highest priority. I have to meet deadlines set by law for disability, etc. and keep the doctor, HR and PT peeps happy. While navigating the county bus system. I do not have a guaranteed ride to anywhere. This is why I still have not seen my car even though it has been living about two miles away for almost a year and a half. 

Thankfully my disability pay did drop in time to pay rent on time instead of late this month. Resolving the death of my car and getting my deserved money from it is important but requires lots of effort. Sadly, so does dad's IRA resolution. Not sure why I need to go somewhere in person this round, because when mom's was settled prior to Covid, I did not have to do that. Patriot Act verification of ID has not changed that much, so I wonder if it is newer policy with holder of dad's IRA. Same place held mom's.

[debthaven]

I went to see the orthopedist today. He got me in for X-rays right away. As I suspected, I need a hip replacement. It's scheduled for mid-Oct. It's 3 nights in the clinic.

I now have a ton of medical and lab appointments to make ... that'll keep me busy. I cancelled the infiltration on Friday because you have to wait 6 months after an infiltration.

Have any of you had a hip replacement?

[jerseygirl]

What is an infiltration?

[debthaven]

When they inject cortisone in the inflamed joint.

ETA: I was wondering if anyone here has had a hip replacement, not an infiltration. 

[debthaven]

So I have a bunch of medical appointments coming up.

- Schedule a dentist appt for late Sept. (I need an all-clear for the surgery.)
- Keep my ophthalmologist appt in early Oct 
- Reschedule my gyn appt for later.  
- Make an appt with the anaesthesiologist. (They don't use the usual online platform, so I need to call the clinic. Ugh!!!)
- Do blood/urine tests (I don't need an appt for those).

I also have a LOT of paperwork to do. For Sept:
- order new DL (new format)
- renew US passport

Plus keep up with work/kitchen/laundry/Shitepile!!!

You can imagine just how THRILLED I am to go into school tomorrow LOL.

[TheOtherMe]

I have not had a hip replacement nor has anyone close to me had one.  Sorry I can't help

[Sharon]

Sept 2, 2024 12:42:22 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I went to see the orthopedist today. He got me in for X-rays right away. As I suspected, I need a hip replacement. It's scheduled for mid-Oct. It's 3 nights in the clinic.

I now have a ton of medical and lab appointments to make ... that'll keep me busy. I cancelled the infiltration on Friday because you have to wait 6 months after an infiltration.

Have any of you had a hip replacement?

My Mom had both of her hips replaced, a few months apart.  Best thing she ever did in that it removed the constant pain she had for years.  She was given some exercises ahead of time to do and then after her first replacement she went to a rehab place for 2 weeks.  A lot of that was because of her age and because she lived alone.  They worked with her on how to get up and down the stairs and they also evaluated her on doing things around the house.  After she was discharged from rehab she went to physical therapy once or twice a week for several weeks.

The first one was two weeks before COVID hit big in the states.  In fact her second one was delayed for a couple of months since it was considered an elective surgery.  After her second one she came home and I spent the nights there and my sister would bring my niece down to spend the day.  She wasn't as good about doing her exercises when she was at home as she was at the rehab place.  She now uses a walking stick to get around, she is in her 80's so that isn't totally unexpected, but I do think she would have done better if she would have had rehab and then physical therapy after the second replacement.

She still talks about how the pain is gone and that isn't nice to not hurt all the time.

ETA:  She didn't go to the rehab facility or to physical therapy because of COVID after the second hip replacement.

[Sharon]

I've been doing small amounts of decluttering, but every little thing helps.  Today I greatly reduced the number of cardboard berry flats that I had, now I have two instead of 10.  The other 8 got dropped off at the cardboard recycling place along with several boxes.

This morning I also sold a quilt kit, pattern and assorted fabric that went with it.

[mollyc]

Sept 2, 2024 13:05:10 GMT -5 debthaven said:

When they inject cortisone in the inflamed joint.

ETA: I was wondering if anyone here has had a hip replacement, not an infiltration. 

The Walk of The Penguin Mich has had hip replacements. She’s in Ireland right now but she is posted occasionally in YM Off Topic, What are you doing now?

[debthaven]

Thanks very much Sharon and mollyc ! It can wait till Mich gets back (although I'm in a similar time zone lol)

[finnime]

I'm glad, debthaven, that you were able to reduce your work schedule so much! Otherwise you'd have no time for the important things, like walking.

[debthaven]

Per the surgeon, I will have to do a lot of walking finnime ! He said he thinks that's the best PT. Sharon they only send elderly people to rehab here now (certainly because of the cost). He said by the time I come home, I'll be able to climb stairs. I wish we had a walk-in shower (like TheOtherMe !) but he said I just need a kiddie step and DH to help me in/out of the bathtub.

I was at school all day. I made the anaesthesiologist appt when I got home. I'm working very little, but it'll pick up in a few weeks.

I told my boss who was great! I'll move one class forward if they're free, and do the first post-op class on Zoom. That'll give me 5 weeks post-op before physically going in. I'll still do my professor/staff classes on Zoom. I'm very happy with that!

[Iggy aka IG]

Hugs to those who need it.  Covid sucks.  And I am glad your boss is willing to accommodate your post-op time, debthaven.

I had a relaxing 3-day weekend, went NOWHERE by choice except to the neighbors to feed their mini farm, and I feel much better than I did when I last posted.  In the past I noticed I got a lot done over the Labor Day weekend, and this one was no exception:

-4 loads of laundry, including the kitten towels and blanket
-Emptied and reloaded the dishwasher twice
-Refilled ice trays, Keurig, napkins and TP
-Picked up my side of the bed and closet
-From the procrastination list:  Mended two items, and because it was made by his family members, I asked DH to tend to (shook it out, hung it from the clothesline, and knocked the dust off) a quilt. 
-Took a nap for the first time in years (besides when ill)
-Did cardio two of the three days
-Made brunch, a Shepherd's pie, and deviled eggs
-Food prepped and made cold brew for the week
-Finalized today's grocery pickup
-Brought an empty box out to the kittens
-Prepared for mailing an item an out of state friend left behind after her visit
-Kitten time, completed a word search, read numerous cruise articles, and watched Alien with DH

[debthaven]

You've had a VERY busy weekend Iggy aka IG ! 

[Iggy aka IG]

Sept 3, 2024 17:22:33 GMT -5 debthaven said:

You've had a VERY busy weekend Iggy aka IG ! 

I sure did, Debt!  I think the difference was I got the laundry and mending done Saturday so that I could relax and do fun things the rest of the weekend. 

[debthaven]

That's wonderful Iggy aka IG !