July 21, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!

No cake or anything else special planned, unless you choose to leave your gifts at the door, in which case I’ll make a big deal of opening them. Looking forward to phone calls from my son and my sister, both of whom will say that they got me something terrific and will mail it soon (it’s what we do.) I need to pay taxes and spend some time on the phone with HP figuring out why I can’t send faxes. If the sun stays out I need to do the oft-delayed flea treatment in the yard and give Lance a bath. That would make it a pretty special day for both of us, considering that he sleeps with me and I’ve had to use flea spray on him several times in the last few days and the aroma makes my nose tingle when I’m trying to sleep. Need to crop a photo so I’ll have it ready to post tonight for Tuesday Teasers. Hmmmm, that’s pretty much what I plan to do today. Faxes, taxes, fleas and tease. That’ll keep me busy!

You may now pay homage.

[tags]birthday[/tags]

June 18, 2008

Oh, the irony!

A couple of weeks ago, in one of my progress reports on de-cluttering my home, I showed you my re-organized hall closet. I included this phrase: “Next time I have a large burn or am bleeding profusely I’ll peek in there and know that I have enough wound dressings to last a week.” As it turns out, I couldn’t peek in there while I was bleeding profusely because I lacked the foresight to do it at home. I was inspecting a vacant house, with no supplies on hand at all. I keep a first aid kit in my car, but wouldn’t you know it - it was gone just when I needed it. I must have left it out of the car the last time I needed a bandaid or an antiseptic wipe, and that was so long ago that I can’t even remember where it was or what I needed the kit for. I scrounged around in the car and came up with a roll of scotch tape and some kleenex and improvised a bandage. The one you see here is the third one - the first two were soaked with blood pretty quickly. The third one stayed on long enough for me to get home, clean the wound properly and put a real bandage on it. I stopped at Walmart on the way home and they had first aid kits on sale, on a special display just inside the front door. Now I’m well equipped again for the next time I give a little too much of myself to the job.

The injury never should have happened. I was opening the hatch to go through the hall ceiling into the attic. I lifted it straight up, then got each hand cupped over an edge. As I moved it a little higher up something gouged a piece of flesh out of my hand. The guy who is selling the house had done some extensive remodeling. He needed to run some cables or wiring in the attic, right beside the entry hatch. He cut a channel for the cable in the framing around the hatch. That would have been fine, but he did a very rough job. It looks like a child hacked out the channel with a screwdriver and hammer. There are rough patches and splinters all along it. In one spot there’s a chunk of wood sticking out right against the hatch cover and that’s what got me. It took a piece of flesh out and there’s a piece that’s “hanging by a thread” and will probably not heal back in place. The guy had to know it was a hazard, but I can imagine his thoughts on that: “The wife and kids will never go up in the attic and I know it’s there and will make sure to avoid the rough spot whenever I need to go up there.” He didn’t think about repair people or termite inspectors or anyone else who might ever have reason to do something in the attic. Mahalo plenty, mister. I left a big old blood stain on your textured ceiling. Nothing I could do to get it out, so I hope it doesn’t screw up the closing for your home sale. And hey - next time? Try think!

I have a picture of my hand without the bandage. Make sure you thank me for not sharing.

[tags]accidents, bandages, on-the-job injuries, work[/tags]

May 29, 2008

Aloha friends - remember me?

It’s been a rough week. A situation that I have been involved in for a very long time took an unexpected turn last week. I’ve never blogged about it because it concerns the personal life of someone else, a very private person, and has never been my story to tell. My involvement has ended abruptly and very badly after a very stressful year and several monthls of twenty-four/seven high anxiety. I’ve had a couple of the worst days in my life and I’ve been decompressing from the stress since then. Some good things have come from it, for me and hopefully for the other person as well. I’m clinging to that thought as I reorganize my own life and move on. It’s really hard to blog about anything when there is one thing occupying your thoughts and you can’t share it. I find now, though, that my focus is becoming more diverse again and I’m seeing stories I want to tell and thinking about other things worth sharing. We have no assurance where life will take us, so I’m not sure what I’ll be blogging about in the coming days, but I will be blogging and I invite you along for the ride.

Mahalo to the faithful readers who have continued to visit skeet’s stuff when there was not much reason to do so. I owe you an explanation. This is the best I can do right now, so it will have to suffice. I’m starting to live my own life again instead of being consumed with someone else’s. I hope you’ll stick around and share it with me.

[tags]blogging, friends, life, personal stuff, stress[/tags]

May 26, 2008

And still more progress!

As promised in my last post, here’s some more de-cluttering progress. I took the above picture of part of my desk a couple of weeks ago, then lost my nerve and didn’t show it to you. I can show it to you now because I took the next photo today.

There’s still a lot of work to do in my office. It took a couple of years of depression and neglect for things to get into such a mess. The re-organization is coming along nicely, but is far from finished.

And now, a word from my sponsor. Well, not really. No one is sponsoring this post. But the nice folks at Gloves In A Bottle were kind enough to send me a sample of their shielding lotion to try out. Y’all know that dehydration is one of the symptoms of my medical condition. That’s more than just thirst. My hair, skin and nails suffer from the lack of moisture. I’ve been handling great stacks of paper every day while organizing my files and catching up my books. Every gas receipt and phone bill is being filed in the proper place so I can compile my expenses and get my taxes caught up. Every report has already been entered into my work logs and journaled in the books. Old files have been purged and I’ve shredded hundreds of pages of sensitive documents. I’ve handled thousands of pieces of paper just in the last week. Paper sucks the moisture out of my skin, so I’m keeping Gloves In A Bottle on my desk and I apply it every few hours while doing this work. It’s a shielding lotion that goes into your skin and helps protect it from inside out, as opposed to conventional moisturizers which merely coat the outer layer of skin. Using Gloves In A Bottle has kept all of my paper-handling from drying and damaging my skin. It doesn’t leave a sticky residue when applied and has not made any smears on my paperwork because - well, how can it? It’s not sitting on the surface of my skin, it’s inside. It’s probably available in a store near you, so use the store locator and get yourself some. In the unlikey event that there’s not a distributor nearby, you can order it from their website. It’s good stuff. You should try it!

As I said, there’s still a lot to be done in the office. Here’s the part of my desk I didn’t show you in the “after” photo above. It’s a three-tiered tray system that sits to the left of my monitor and should have inspection order forms and a few other things neatly organized and close to hand. Yeah, I know - you can barely even see the trays right now. I’ll probably remedy that tomorrow. Maybe someday soon I’ll show you my whole desk in a single photo.

When I started this whirlwind of activity I wanted to do one house job, one office job and one yard/garden job each day. That’s not terribley practical because some chores move along more effectively when I dedicate big blocks of time to them. It took me most of a day to get all of my inspection files in date order and get them journaled, then put them in alphabetical order for filiing, so I didn’t break up the job to clean closets or pull weeds. I’ve managed to maintain a steady pace in each area of labor, though, except for the three days that rain kept me from working outside. Today I did the hall closet and started cleaning and organizing the shed in the front yard. Yesterday I did the pantry. There’s great variety of items in my pantry, so there are several types of items on each shelf. Generally, it breaks down like this: snacks and convenience foods on the top shelf, canned goods, sauces and syrups on the second shelf, herbs, spices and seasonings on the bottom shelf and gum and candy in the little hanging basket. There are a few frequently-used medications in there, too (the rest are in the hall closet, which you’ve already seen.) I threw away two rubbish bags of stale stuff that had been lost in the back, some herbs and spices that were past their prime and a couple of cans that I thought I gave to the food bank the last time I purged and refilled my evac kit. One can of tomato paste had a swollen top, a sure way to get botulism. Why is it always tomato paste? There was a mysterious sticky puddle on one shelf. Not a clue what it used to be, but it’s gone now.

Tall and bulky items are on the floor of the pantry - oils and vinegars, a couple of bottles of liquor and some unopened wine, cereal, Lance’s kibble and biscuits. Can liquor go bad in the bottle after it’s opened? I don’t really drink, but I have a bottle of B & B and a little rum for cooking. Both were opened several years ago. Maybe I should toss them? I washed Lance’s bins while I was cleaning the pantry and didn’t refill them yet, so the kibble bag is sticking out of it right now. Every time I open the pantry Lance checks to make sure the good stuff is still at beagle-eye level. My fire extinguisher is right there, too, where it will be easy to grab if I ever need it. You do have an extinguisher in your kitchen, don’t you? If you don’t, would you please get one very soon? Do it for yourself and your family, and because it will make me happy, too.

My next kitchen chore will be to sort through my dishes and assign a whole bunch of them to the garage sale/charity truck pile. Needless to say, there is entirely too much stuff in my kitchen!

[tags]cleaning, clutter, de-cluttering, organizing[/tags]

May 25, 2008

More progress on de-cluttering

There’s a problem with letting clutter accumulate. Well, actually, it creates a lot of problems. Here’s the one I’m thinking of right now, though. See the stack of washcloths between the two stacks of towels? There are - wait a minute while I count - forty-one washcloths. There are a few more in my bathroom - maybe three or four - plus some in the laundry basket. Let’s say I’ve got about fifty washcloths. Why in the world would a single adult living alone need fifty washcloths? She wouldn’t, of course. But if she frequently shops, sets the booty aside to deal with later and then forgets about it, she might not remember that she bought a cheaper-by-the-dozen package of washcloths. She might forget that several times and buy them again … and again. When she finally starts de-cluttering her home she might find some WalMart bags with stuff she bought. One them might be in a corner of her bedroom and contain a twin-pack of deodorant and some hair gel in addition to a jumbo pack of washcloths. Maybe there was another hiding in the floor of the guest room closet containing some washcloths along with a sympathy card that was never sent and a few other bits and bobs. There might even be a full, unopened pack in the hall closet, hiding behind some towels that are in such disarray that no one has a clue what else might be in there. That’s how it could happen, maybe. Just speculating, mind you, but it could happen that way, couldn’t it?

My decluttering frenzy has continued on a daily basis. I tackled the hall closet today. Sheets, tablecloths, towels and washcloths can now be found when needed. The biggest chore in the closet, though, was two shelves packed with a miscellany of health and beauty products. I found prescription drugs that were years out of date. Lots of stale over-the-counter cold and sinus remedies, too, and crinkly tubes of antibiotic ointment, dusty bottles of eye drops and multiple bottles of hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol with a little product remaining in each. I have lots of first aid supplies. Super-sized sterile bandages from when I burned my foot, ace bandages and self-adhesive wraps and plenty of regular old bandaids, of course. I filled a large rubbish bag with all of that stale, out-dated stuff, plus body lotions in which the oils had gone rancid and shampoos that had turned funny colors. I’m happy with the results. There were several little baskets in there, but not enough to actually organize things, so I improvised with some boxes to handle the overflow. Each is labelled and things are sorted by type so they can be found quickly. Next time I have a large burn or am bleeding profusely I’ll peek in there and know that I have enough wound dressings to last a week. It won’t be a problem if you forget your toothbrush or floss or razor when you come for a visit. These are good things to know.

I couldn’t bring myself to take a photo that showed the whole closet “before.” The picture above was about half-way through. I had emptied out most of the stuff that was in the bottom of the closet originally - dog-bath towels and throw rugs and vacuum cleaner attachements and such. Then I used the floor of the closet as one of my sorting bins. Most of that is sick room supplies left over from when I was taking care of Dad. There are suction syringes and tubing, feeding tubes, catheters, and even a cheap, plastic stethoscope used to make sure the feeding tube hadn’t gone astray into a lung. There are braces and thumb splints for each phase of the tendon problems in my hands. Most of this ended up in the rubbish bin, but the tubing has various hardware uses (and is in the shed now) and the stethocope is with my first aid supplies. The gallon jug of hand soap is still right where it started.

I’ve worked on my office some more, too. I’ll post about that in a little while, after I eat some supper. It’s been a busy day and I need to re-fuel.

[tags]cleaning, clutter, de-cluttering, organizing[/tags]

April 11, 2008

Sicko

I’ve started four posts in the last few days and been unable to finish any of them. I think maybe I’m dying from the plague. If I survive I’ll be back when I can actually string more than two sentences together and have them make sense.

[tags]colds, flu, health[/tags]

December 7, 2007

A quick note

I’ve been without power and an internet connection since a storm blew through on Tuesday night. I have clients backed up and need to re-stock the fridge while I’m out since I lost everything. I’ll try to do a real post later today if I can get back home in time. There’s still power poles and debris on highway, so I’ll be gone for hours, I’m sure. Just wanted to let everyone know I’m back will try to catch up on comments and do a real post later today.

[tags]absence, power outage[/tags]

November 27, 2007

I’ve lost my street cred!

The board of directors for our community finally found a contractor to repair and repave our roads. They’re supposed to be out there working right now, but they haven’t shown up yet. Some of the prep happened yesterday, though. You would think that with dozens of spots to place this lovely little gem, the delivery man would have put it somewhere a bit out of the way where it wouldn’t offend too many folks, right? Wrong! The idiot put it in the entrance to my driveway, blocking access to the extra stall my friends park in when they visit. I stared at it all afternoon and then decided I just had to do something about it. I called a friend on the board and she assured me that the arrangement called or the portapottie to be positioned outside of the park fence down the road. She gave me the number of the paving contractors and I called them first thing this morning. They, too, were surprised that the rental company had not followed the work order instructing them to park it at the park. Within half an hour the jobber showed up and moved it.

I need to upgrade my landscaping. Curb appeal is everything, you know? I appreciate the guy trying to help me out, but I’m thinking a gazebo for the front yard would be a little more appropriate.

[tags]home, humor, just stuff, portapottie[/tags]

November 26, 2007

Gratitude

I’m so very grateful that my old Buddy dog has decided that he’s going to stick around a while longer. I’m grateful for over ten years of loving devotion from him, and will repay it soon by helping him through that last dark passage. Not today, though. We still have some good times to share.

I’m grateful to all of my friends who shared my joy when I was able to cancel Buddy’s final appointment. Your support and fellowship mean the world to me. Mahalo!

I’m grateful for the two friends who shared Thanksgiving in my home. My ohana. Two of the dearest people in the world to me. They fill my heart and make me want to be a better person.

I’m grateful that my son has turned out to be such a great guy. I fumbled through his young years, making a lot of mistakes that he was able to overcome. His honesty, his morality, his infinite capacity for love thrill me. I love you, son.

I’m grateful for the group of women who have been the core of my online community for so many years. We’ve shared our daily lives for so long and so intimately that we know each other better than some of our family members know us. You help me stay centered and your friendship is one of my most valuable assets.

I’m grateful for the other online friends who have become a part of my life since I started blogging. You’ve become a part of my daily bread. I feed on your joys and triumphs, feast on your imaginations and intellects, am downcast by your miseries and am humbled that you share your lives with me. I’m also very grateful that most of you don’t seem to need drug rehabilitation.

I’m grateful that my Thanksgiving turkey this year was the best I’ve ever cooked. I realize that sets the bar impossibly high and that all future turkeys are likely to be very poor imitation, but I’m glad to have reached the pinnacle just this once.

I’m grateful for my little home. It’s not a palace, but it fills my needs. It gives me shelter, provides the boys with a place to rest and play and has room for all of my stuff - well, most of it. I’m well aware that many are not so blessed.

I am grateful that I have work that I enjoy, and that it is adequate to provide for me and the boys. Again, many are not so fortunate.

I’m grateful for this life I have. Many would find it a bit boring. That’s too bad. I’m content.

[tags]dogs, family, friends, gratitude, thankfulness[/tags]

November 23, 2007

Day after - damage control

Why do we call them holidays, those days when we celebrate with family and friends and over-indulge in all the good stuff? I’m not asking that in the literal sense; I know the term originated with the ‘holy days” on various religious calendars. I’m talking of the way we use the word in relation to the other busy days of our lives. We use the term to signify “days off of work,” yet end up working harder for ourselves on these days than some of us generally work in our paid jobs. I have a termite inspection to do today whenever I’m ready to do it - it’s a vacant place on a lock box, so I didn’t have to rush out to meet someone for admittance at the crack of dawn. I have a lot of other work to do today, too, though, and it’s all within my own home. The geniuses who do market research tell me that many of you will spend today out shopping, taking advantage of Black Friday sales. How do you do it? I’ve never had time for anything other than cleaning on the day after a “holiday.”

My guests at yesterday’s feast washed dishes during the few minutes that I was back here in the office doing my apology post last night. I very much appreciate that, though I’m never really comfortable when someone else does the clean-up for me. As you can see, the dish drainer is full. There’s another whole load of dishes left to do. I’ll get to them shortly.

After those dishes are done, I’ll tackle the leftover pots and pans. There wasn’t even room for them on the countertop, so they’re still stacked on the stove. I’ll need to give the stovetop a good scrubbing, too. I’m a clean-as-you-cook kinda gal, but there’s so much going on during the preparation of a big holiday meal that it gets pretty overwheliming if I try to keep up with that habit.

Then there’s this. I loaded my guests up with as much as they could carry. I also issued an order that they’re to come back today or tomorrow and take more. I hope they took that seriously. I plan on de-boning the turkey later today - probably after I do that one little inspection I’ve got scheduled. I’ll get all of the meat into a couple of zip-lock bags and try to persuade my friends to take at least half of it. I might make turkey soup from the bones, but the freezer is full, too, so where would I put it? I bought the smallest turkey I could find (a little over twelve pounds) but it’s still way too much for two people to consume (our third is a vegetarian, so he’s no help with the excess.) Maybe I should give the boys a turkey dinner tonight instead of their usual kibble. Buddy is failing rapidly and won’t be with us much longer. Yeah, I think I’ll ignore conventional wisdom about “people food” just this once, and treat them both to a feast. The old boy deserves that!

[tags]chores, excess, family, holidays[/tags]