Ruthless!!---OUT!!!

I am cleaning out kitchen cabinets, the linen cabinet, and my clothes closet.  And I am being utterly ruthless.  If it isn't used, doesn't fit, or I just don't want it--out it goes!!  From the kitchen (among other things) I found 2 lids to pots I haven't had in a couple of decades and which don't fit anything else--OUT.  Linens included ratty towels, threadbare sheets, and torn pillow cases--OUT!!  I have clothes that are too big and shoes that I can't (or won't) wear, purses with broken clasps or broken straps---OUT!!

JMM will have a load to take to Goodwill.

I am so pleased to get all this clutter out of my way and get things clean and organized. The down side is that I am stirring up so much dust.  Who would have thought there was so much dust in one's closet!!

Household improvements

Two items on my WTHIPO (When the House Is Paid Off) list recently were taken care of.  I had the carpets and a/c vents steam cleaned.  And I bought new furniture for the living room--new couch, 1 comfy reading chair, 2 end tables, coffee table, 2 table lamps, and 2 floor lamps.  All without touching my emergency fund.  It looks really nice if I say so myself.  I haven't decided what to save up for next on the WTHIPO list--maybe the grandfather clock repair or the sewing machine cabinet refinishing.

Getting the house in tip top shape is such a benefit of retirement.  Things that I have not had time to do for years can be tackled a little bit each day--cleaning out old files, scrubbing tiles in the kitchen, organizing cabinets and closets.  I love to have things organized and orderly!!

Curtains

I am leaning toward making the curtains for the living room and dining room myself. I just don't want to spend the money that it would take to have custom draperies made. I've made curtains before and it's not that hard. I will make simple lined rod and pocket curtains. I will get the measurements today, look for hardware at Home Depot, and check out fabric at Cloth World.

BTW, I can cross the ceiling fans off my WTHIPO list. They were installed yesterday and if I say so myself, they look perfect. The WTHIPO list item for April will be replacing the cracked window.

Sewing machine drama

In 1963 my mother bought a brand new Singer sewing machine in an oak cabinet. She bought it to replace the sewing machine that was ruined when the house flooded in Hurricane Carla. That sewing machine made dresses for me through high school and college, it made the dress that I brought TSM home from the hospital in, and dozens of quilt tops and so much more. I was using it until last week when it stopped. It just stopped. I was sure that it could not be repaired. I could never throw it away--more likely, if it were truly dead, I would want it to be buried with a funeral and gravestone. I found a Singer repair shop and took it in this morning and joy of joys, it looks like it can be repaired!! JMM is going to bring it home Thursday so this weekend, it will be back home with me. Almost like a member of the family home from the hospital.

Pleasant View Schoolhouse

There have been no blog posts, no journal entries, and very little else done since I discovered this beautiful weblog. I've been giving myself a treat every chance I get to partake of the life and times at Pleasant View Schoolhouse. It is a visual delight and a balm to the soul. (If you get started reading it and get nothing else done for the next 5 days, don't say you weren't warned.)

http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/

4 Days Off

And just in the nick of time too!! I have worked the last 8 out of 9 days and am more than a little ready to have some days off. You would think that I would want to spend the day in my pajamas napping with the cats and while that does have much to say for it, I was happier doing things today. With 3 cats and a dog (and 3 people) all contributing hair and dander to the house, there is a constant battle to vacuum, dust, and mop it all up. Today I washed bedding, vacuumed, and dusted the back bedroom and generally straighted it up. Tomorrow I will do the front bedroom.

Next on my list of projects was bagels. When I worked at the VA, I would frequently stop at the New York Bagel Shop on Braeswood and get the freshest, best bagel in Houston and eat it with cream cheese on my way to work. TSM had some grocery store bagels which reminded me that it has been way too long since I had a real NY bagel. So I stopped by and got 4 plain, 1 cinnamon raisin, and 1 blueberry bagels. I had a plain with whipped cream cheese on my way to Bubbles Car Wash. Sooo good!!

No one cleans a car like Bubbles--Yes, it costs $35 plus $5 tip but worth every cent--sparkly clean outside and not a speck (or crumb) inside and windows you can see through even where the wipers don't get to. Bagels and Bubbles make for a very good day but no time to shop or cook.

So I am meeting JMM at Chili's for dinner. Nice end to Day Off #1.

Thought for the Day:

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails.__William Arthur Ward

What's new in the garden?

Tomatoes and bell peppers, that's what!! We planted 4 varieties of tomatoes. I usually have good luck with cherry tomatoes so we have several of those. For my new variety, this year I am trying Roma tomatoes. Only 2 bell pepper plants, one generally provides all we can eat but I want some to chop up and put in the freezer. The little pea plants are doing very well and will have to be thinned out before long.

I am contemplating getting a solar oven and learning how to cook with it this summer. It really is ridiculous to use the oven during the summer while running the airconditioning to keep the house cool. I saw a couple of books on solar cooking but I'm sure it is like anything else, you learn it best while doing it. I would also need some kind of cart on wheels to move it in and out. Interesting. Need to look into the different types and the cost.

Another project for the summer is to do some home canning. The last time I did home canning was back in the 1970's. Funny how the things I did back then are now all the rage.

So much to learn; so much to do!!


Thought for the day:

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Albert Schweitzer