The apple fell close to the tree!

And then this happened. I was up early, wrote the blog, gave the dogs a short walk, called an Uber, and soon was at the airport! I know!!! Don't worry - I had at least 20 minutes before the luggage cutoff time.

I see they have new check-in kiosks at the airport, and they are nice. And they WORK!!! So I was able to print my two bag tags with zero problems. Actually, it wasn't the printing of the tags that was an issue in the past; I couldn't get the darn thing to recognize me. But with the little scanner at the front of the machine, I used my electronic boarding pass and soon had what I needed. 

New check-in kiosks

But I learned something yesterday. Of course, I did -- what day do I not learn something? This is a quick trip and sort of work-related, so I have a bag of samples with me. I might as well check my carry-on, since I have to wait for the other bag. I put the tags on my two bags and went to the automated bag drop. The machine said my carry-on was too large. WHAT? I've always used these bags. AHA -- then I clued in -- there's a specific tag for the carry-on, and I had put it on my big suitcase! Yep - not only does that machine weigh your bag and scan the label, but it measures it! 

I whipped over to an agent, and yes -- that was the problem. It was easy enough to switch the tags, and the bags were on their merry way! 

Through the Air Canada app, I received three messages about my bags, telling me that they were accepted (7:50), prepping to load the bags (8:04), and then that they were loaded onto the plane (8:50). All with a timestamp. The bags were unloaded at 10:50 and arrived at the carousel at 11:00. And of course, I knew which carousel to pick them up at! 

Since this flight was booked at the last minute, I was stuck in the middle seat, which was fine. DH had borrowed my office backpack for his trip, and I was OK with that because I wasn't going anywhere. Then I needed to go somewhere, and I had no office backpack! I found this messenger bag that I've had for years and never used. 

My messenger bag

It only has one strap, and with the weight of my laptop, iPad, a bottle of water, and some food, I found it heavy and awkward. 

As I watched people board the plane from my middle seat, I noticed the types of backpacks they had. Hmm - the young person sitting across the aisle from me had an interesting backpack, so as I stood up to let my window seat mate in, I asked this girl what brand it was. Hmmm -- that looks pretty interesting. I NEED an office backpack - a proper one. I don't know why I haven't bought one before. 

When I sat down, my seatmate started to tell me about her backpack. I'm not a talker on a plane, but this young girl and I ended up talking the entire flight, which never happens! She was my daughter's age, and we hit it off like we had been friends for years. 

She's just finishing her Master's in a fascinating field - epidemiology. Now, most of us would think of disease-related, and we would be right. But it also involves prevention, and her thesis was related to school food programs to see if a better diet can prevent future issues. Of course it can! I'm sure I messed up that explanation. Sorry! 

So we chatted about everything under the sun, and I don't think I've ever had a better conversation and for so long in such a long time! It was refreshing to see her attitude. I hope she finds a job as she's just finished school, and now the great job search begins. So, if anyone out there is in the healthcare system and looking for someone to hire! 

Remember those business cards I put in my little pouch? I gave her one! I hope she gets in touch as I would love to hear how it goes. It was great meeting you, Zoe!

Then I got my rental car. The color on the tag is listed as orange, but it basically looks like my car, and then I was off. Yep - I'm in Saskatoon!

I'm in Saskatoon

I stopped at my favorite bookstore - Robinson McNally. AHA -- these little miniature room kits are all the rage these days. They had the biggest selection that I've seen anywhere, and even though I have room in my suitcase, I didn't buy any! 

Miniature room kits

The quilt and craft magazine section is pretty small, but I still found two titles that I like to follow. And some day, my subconscious and I will have a fight about getting rid of them. But not today! The information has moved online, so it's still there - just in a different format. 

Quilt magazine section at the bookstore

The Saskatoon Quilt Guild always had quilts on display, and this was a unique take on the tumbling block quilt. Sorry -- they are hanging on the balcony, and it's hard to get the label information. 

A tumbling block quilt

There was an entire shelf devoted to tidying up your life and home. Needless to say, I did not buy any of those books. 

Tidy up your home books

Shoot --- I spotted this - Nina Prose is going to be at the bookstore TOMORROW, but that day doesn't work for me. It would have been fun to attend her book signing. I have her second book on hold in my book list. 

Book signing alert!

And there was obviously a quilter in the bookstore as I spotted this license plate on the way to my car! 

Do you think a quilter owns this car?

WOW --- there was a lot to see at the bookstore. OH - I did buy one book - an impulse purchase. I didn't take a picture, but I'll share it with you tomorrow. 

Then it was off to the thrift store, where I looked in all the usual places, but I didn't find anything I needed or wanted. Drat - I even have room in the suitcase! But if you want a crocheted afghan, this seems like the place to get one! 

LOTS of afghans up for grabs

Even as my Mom generates more. But the crochet is giving her something to do, so I'm not knocking it. It just seems a shame that so many afghans are waiting here to be loved by someone. 

I was tired because I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before, so I pulled over and took a nap! The weather is quite warm, and I didn't even need a jacket. It was also very windy. 

Does anyone remember this brand? We used to have a store called the Pop Shoppe, and we would take our plastic cartons with the empties back to get more. We didn't drink a lot of pop, but we did have this for a while. 

The Pop Shoppe

And there's the big red bull at the truck stop called The Red Bull. That place has been there forever. It's the equivalent of our big stops on the 400 series highways back home. There used to be a geocache at this location, and we finally found it, but it took us many trips to figure it out. 

The red bull at the Red Bull truck stop

I decided to take a detour and visit the farm, but also stopped at the cemetery as it was on my way. These graves are my grandparents on my Mom's side. 

Family gravesite

And look at those magnificent skies! We just don't get the same view back home, as there are too many houses and trees. It was windy, and the temperature dropped a bit. The dust was blowing like mad when I was in the cemetery, and it was cold, so I didn't stop long, as I had left my jacket in the car. 

The living skies

Oh my -- the farmyard looks so different. There isn't much left, and the yard isn't overgrown, but it used to be bare and is now starting to get covered in grass and weeds. My brother has done a massive job cleaning up everything, and there are just a few things of Dad's that remain. My brother also has a "few" old vehicles that need to be dealt with. 

I got out of the car and walked around, but only for a few steps each time, as I mostly drove the car around the yard. Well, imagine my surprise when I was about 2 KM from the yard and I found this on my neck. ^&&*(*&^^

A TICK!!!!

I did not find any others but those little buggers!!!! And they are hard to kill—you need to slice them open. I just opened the car door and flicked it outside. Thank goodness, I kept my walking to a minimum. 

Then I arrived at the apartment and had a good visit with Mom and Dad. I'm teaching a class today, but I'll be back this evening. 

So Dad "works" at the Western Development Museum. He's actually a volunteer who works on restoring old engines. Yep - before everything had its own motor or power source, equipment was often powered by a stationary engine. I must try to find the YouTube video of one that he's restored. 

He is often the only volunteer on any given day, but he works with the other employees in the shop. There are not many who work there. 

But here's the thing, and the apple did not fall far from the tree on this. One of the volunteers moved to Saskatoon and went to that location of the Museum to volunteer, but it wasn't the same, so he drives from Saskatoon to volunteer here because it's better. What my Dad doesn't get is that they come to this location because of him! My DAD is what makes this volunteer program the best. I tried to explain that to him, but I don't think he gets it. If he weren't there, they wouldn't be doing all that they are doing. 

He is the driving force behind their success. My Dad can still do lathe work and offer suggestions, but can't lift or carry things. But that is what the others do. Dad supervises, and they work as a well-oiled machine to get the work done! I hope he realizes that!!! 

I laugh because I think that is me sometimes. Now Dad doesn't organize anything - he's not that kind of person, but I organize things so they happen! 

Well, I'm off as I need to eat, have a shower, and then hit the road. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

On the way I spied.....

I sure wish I were playing car bingo yesterday because I saw lots of stuff on my drive to and from Cannington. 

First, I want to say that this guild is small, but it's MIGHTY. The number of quilts that came in for show and tell and were then donated to their Outreach program was astounding! 

Some members were given blocks or panels and "had" to make something from them, and they were outstanding! 

And they very warmly received me, and I had oodles of great feedback. Of course, I never seem to have business cards with me. So I now have business cards in my little pouch! 

And someone asked me if I knew anyone in the guild. I didn't, until I started speaking and spotted someone from my old guild in the audience. We had a great chat during the break! 

What did I see on my way there? The trip was a bit uneventful, but I did make some observations. Remember, I don't get out much and drive these days, so even the small things were exciting. 

• The number of times that I got an alert on the navigation system about police! Good grief! 
• Passing through a small town (Udora) where my cousin lives. And when I had looked it up on the map a couple of years ago because I had something for them, I said - that's too far out of the way to drive! So I sent it by post. 
• The devastation of the trees near Cannington. They got walloped, and some substantial branches and trees were damaged. Loads of branch debris lined up ready for pickup. 
• I arrived early and spotted an old foundry by the river with a cool stone building, and behind that was a large work area. Anyone into converting it into a massive sewing space? 
• I stopped and took a picture of the high school as one of my Monday sewing group went to high school there. 
• And I stopped to take a picture of a house where another member of the Monday group's grandparents had lived. 
• On the way home, I spotted a grass fire along the highway, and there was a ton of smoke! But traffic didn't slow down. 
• Gas prices were $121.9 a liter - they were practically giving it away!
• I had ZERO pain twinges in my leg and back. A miracle!
• It was a glorious day with blue skies and warm temperatures. 

And there you have it - my trip! I didn't get back until almost dinner time - I knew it was going to take a good chunk of the day, and that was OK. It was very fun that their meeting was in the afternoon! 

But while I was on the road, a single phone call changed something, and well, I decided to go with it. That meant that when I got home, my entire evening was spent on getting things done. More on that tomorrow. Dare I say that I'm caught up on my email? Wait -- that's not true. I'm caught up on the urgent stuff, I hope!

All the follow-ups are done, and the upcoming two significant events I'm organizing are under control. The magazines are still on the floor, and they'll stay that way for a few days.

After I got home, I shuffled off to vote. I don't know all the details this morning, but that was a close election. I'm not comfortable with that, as it could lead to a lot of infighting and a struggle to maintain power, rather than actually governing. Let's see what happens. 

These girls could have the run of the backyard for the entire day, but the walk is the most essential thing in their lives! And Miss Lexi is starting to get aggressive. She is waiting at the front door and is pushing ahead of Murphy. So that's a good and bad thing! 

MOM - we need our walk NOW!

You probably can't see in this picture, but you can. Look at that green tinge! The leaves are here, and soon the coverage will be in full bloom, and let the forest bathing begin! But even the bare trees are calming. 

The leaves are bursting out

During the Virtual Retreat, I managed to take the binding off one of the bedspreads I purchased. I'm going to make a jacket from it. It's hideous, and the batting is very puffy in some spots. But I'm going to use this as my sizing sample. And I'm also going to experiment with seam finishes, etc. So it will be perfect for that. Then, when I get things perfected, I can use one of the nicer ones and make an actual jacket that I'll wear. 

The binding is off the bedspread

I visited the thrift store the other day and spotted a few things that I might like to buy. I didn't have my wallet or my shopping bag with me, so I didn't buy anything. But look what I found!!! Yes - it seems appealing until you touch it. Can you guess what it's made of? 

Pretty to look at, but not to touch

Yep - it's Phentex! That afghan will live forever! 

I found some books that may or may not be missing from my "to be read" collection, but I'm not buying them if I already have them, so I need to do some checking before making a trip back and hoping that no one else buys them. 

Before I left in the morning, I had to collect all the quilts. It's super easy to do that since I have a PowerPoint presentation, and I used that to gather the quilts. To carry them all downstairs would be a tremendous job, so I literally tossed them over the railing. So much for the white glove treatment! Don't worry - I only do that with my quilts! 

And the two suitcases are ready to be packed. 

Packing for the presentation

In addition to those on the floor, I had this pile in the kitchen. 

More quilts to pack

And this pile in the living room. Remember, there is an ottoman underneath all that. 

And even more quilts

And they all fit into the two suitcases! I've got this process down pat. Let's say that neither of those suitcases would meet the weight restrictions on an airplane! I can barely get them in the car, but I do. 

Now to shut them - it's easy!

I also had a tote bag with some books that I used for this presentation. And I pulled one quilt off the wall that I don't like being folded up. And it would not fit anyway. Did you notice that Murphy was waiting by the door? She wanted to come! 

Ready to load the car

When I got home, I unpacked everything, and I need to take some time to put it all back on the shelf in the proper place. I also need to start sorting out what I want and don't want. 

I see Miss Lexi is enjoying the great outdoors. She slept outside all night. I swear she was in the house!

Well, the clock is ticking and I must run! The magazines are going to have to wait! 

Subconscious: You are running away from this!

Me: I am NOT! Something else came up!

Subconscious: Denial! You're in denial! 

Me: I am NOT! I didn't give one thought to those old magazines yesterday!

Subconscious: I told you so! 

Me: Take a hike! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The angst of decluttering magazines

We had a conversation about my magazines at the Virtual Retreat yesterday. Just throw them away - AHA! - They didn't listen that I need to do it my way! 

But here are a couple of reasons why I need to do it my way. I gave this a lot of thought during my morning walk with the girls and my afternoon walk. 

• I may find inspiration for something in the magazine.
• I may find something (or multiple somethings) that then become a story for the blog. 
• Or my warped sense of humor may just be amused by a tidbit I find.  

In light of the quantity of magazines, here's what I did. I sorted through the stacks on the floor and pulled out all the CAA magazines. That is the equivalent of the AAA in the US. 

A stack of unread CAA magazines

Then I sorted them by date. I HAVE to - I'm a Virgo and we like order. And this was the oldest. Yep - that's Sarah Richardson on the cover - she's 37. 

The cover of the  oldest CAA magazine

I know that means nothing to you - it means nothing to me. But here's the date. OK - a bit dated. 

Yikes - more than 15 years old!

This was a conversation I had with myself throughout the day. 

Subconscious: How old are those magazines? 

    Me: They date from Fall 2009 to Fall 2021

Subconscious: Did you buy these magazines?

    Me: No - they came automatically as I was a member of CAA

Subconscious: Did you ever find anything of interest in past issues? 

    Me: Typically, little tidbits of information that I didn't really need. 

Subconscious: Did you ever use any of CAA services that would require you to stay on top of what services they provide? 

    Me: Whine - No, stop asking me the hard questions. I want to keep those magazines! 

Subconscious: Do you agree that all information related to technology is outdated? 

    Me: Yes - I agree. 

Subconscious: Do you agree that most of these interesting tidbits could be gleaned from another source that is current in your life? 

    Me: OK - I agree. 

Subconscious: Look at the cover of the oldest one - take a close look. Do you care about identity theft? Yes - you do, but not using information from 2009 - technology has changed since then. Same with renovating - you're not going to renovate your house. And do you care about Sarah? She's onto something else these days. What about the housing boom? Do you think it's the same now as then? 

    Me: STOP! Stop being a bully!

Subconscious: So, you're going to go home and toss those CAA magazines out. Right? 

    Me: I can't!

Subconscious: But you want to - don't you? 

    Me: Yes - I do, but I can't! Not without looking at them! 

Subconscious: OK -- you do what you want, but you are wasting your time! 

What happened? I looked through the two oldest magazines. And I found this ad, which I thought was hilarious, as it was a huge thing at that time. This northern community advertised everywhere as a retirement community. And lots of people have moved there! The ads worked! 

Ad for a northern retirement community

Let's leave those CAA magazines for a moment. 

I found several magazines on organizing and decluttering, which I added to the stack on the bookshelf. I'm not sure I really need to read the rest of the decluttering magazines, but for now, they stay put. 

More decluttering magazines

And then this happened. 

The new home for the CAA magazines

Subconscious: I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

    Me: Shut up!!! You sound like my mother! 

    

    Me: OK - I don't mean to be harsh, but you were right! 

Subconscious: Thank you! And you'll thank me as you now have MORE time to sew! And think about the weight that is being lifted off those shoulders! You won't need to go for therapeutic massages in the future! 

That was hard, but I need to be aware of the balance between time and value. Will anything I glean from browsing those magazines change my life? What about the 10/10/10 rule?

In ten minutes will I remember the tidbit? Probably yes, but there's a good chance that unless I write about it - it's gone!. 

In ten weeks? Probably no. 

In ten years? Definitely not, although its amazing what little tidbits of information stick in your head. 

Before going to bed, I sorted the rest of the stack into either titles or categories. Do NOT yell at me for doing this. I threw some away - so no yelling. 

The rest of the magazines are somewhat sorted

I put the next category on the kitchen table, and I'll deal with it later today. Hopefully, my subconscious will be there to guide me. 

Subconscious: Oh, you bet! I'll be there whenever you need me. I'm trying to clear your mind and your physical space, so we can sew. I much prefer sewing to decluttering. It's less work for me! 

I found two magazines that I NEED to keep, and I'll share them with you later this week as I go through that stack. I would love to be able to process those piles and not put them back on the shelf. I can do it, but I have to do it my way! And I appreciate how good you have all been about not giving me advice. It means you are listening to me and hopefully feeling my angst.  

You have to understand that reading material is probably the MOST precious thing in the world to me. I was a voracious reader when I was a kid. I didn't have access to a lot growing up where I was. I never had access to a public library or a store where I could browse. Definitely not any electronic stuff. I was 100% dependent on adults for reading material until I went to a larger school in Grade 6, where they had a school library. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. 

Let's not forget my Mom, the hoarder, also has a thing for magazines, so it's hardwired in my brain! 

I think I did pretty well to toss those magazines yesterday. It's not the first time, and part of me still wants to sift quickly through the pages, but then I get this: 

Subconscious: It's not worth your time! 

    Me: OK OK - I'm getting it!

I did NOT buy those CAA magazines. I did not choose for them to be in my house. And let's face it, most articles in all magazines are not in-depth. They are written extremely generic. I may empty that recycling basket so I don't hear them calling me, as the recycling bin is next to my computer!

Once those magazines on the floor are dealt with, I believe all the magazines in the office will be dealt with, except the occasional ones mixed in the boxes of paper. Ooops --- I just remembered there are a few on the desk. Well, let's get these done first. I'm fired up and motivated. 

The best news is that I'm on my own for a while, as DH has some upcoming trips and I'm way more productive when he's gone. Do not ask me why. I think it's because I can work at any time of the day or night, and there are zero questions. Lights can be on, music if I want, and any time of day works! 

I feel the urge to purge!!!! 

I have a crazy day ahead of me. I'm speaking at the East Lake Simcoe Quilters Guild in Cannington, and thankfully, their meeting is in the afternoon, so I can drive there and back during the day. But it's going to take most of the day. 

I have a lot of follow-up from the weekend, and then I need to hit the ground running as I have two projects that MUST be done this week. 

But first, I'm off to spin class. 

Here's an assignment for you. What is the one thing in your house that you struggle to deal with? For me, it's magazines. And we won't even talk about quilt magazines, although I do read them, albeit very slowly, and I enjoy them, and then they go in the recycling.

OK - so you've identified the problem item(s). Start asking yourself some questions like I did above. Why? When? How? Where? Etc. Will you learn anything from the item? Does it give you pleasure? Etc.  Be brutal; if the answer is that you need to keep it, then keep it and stop feeling guilty about it. If you don't need to keep it, what can you do to start the emotional detachment from those items? It's HARD - very HARD and I'll be thinking about those CAA magazines for a couple of weeks until I let it go. OK - maybe a day or two! 

And an interesting thought was brought up yesterday. Just because I'm on this decluttering journey - OK - let's face it - I've been on this journey for over 15 years! I'm just getting faster and I've staunched the incoming - at last! But don't feel compelled to declutter just because I am. You need to declutter because you WANT to. That's been my problem -- I bought the magazines, read the articles, but I wasn't ready, so it took me a long time for it to become a real desire. 

BUT now that I see how much better I feel (mentally, especially) and the fact that I LOVE clean, open, and empty spaces, I wish I had been faster. But it doesn't matter - I'm doing it now. This is for ME, and if you pick up a tidbit or two for later in your life or now -- that's your choice! Your journey is yours! 

Have a super day!!! 

Ciao!!!!

Making spaces and NOT filling them up!

Not only did I cave and put my pants back on (from wearing shorts instead of not wearing any pants at all!), but I also turned the heat back on in the house. It's cool outside! The girls are loving this weather! 

And the decluttering motivation has hit again! I swear - once you start to see those open spaces and NOTHING to fill them up, well, it's inspiring! 

I started by pulling everything from that corner in the office. Yes - another instance of pulling everything out, but will I actually deal with it? 

The current pile of crap to deal with

I pushed Miss Murphy's toy box into the corner, which, of course, she had to check out. She still has TWO toy boxes in this room, and I don't think she needs two. We'll deal with that another day. 

MOM - I haven't smelled this corner in a long time

Then I could actually open those doors, which I don't think have been open for years! I got rid of the dust and dirt that had collected there, and all is good. I don't like using those doors as there is another door into the office. So they stay shut. 

The office doors are open!

One of the things I pulled from the corner was a nice box filled with magazines. I know!!! Didn't Meditations for Mortals tell me that I don't need to read everything that comes into my house? I don't and I shouldn't, but I'm going to struggle with this one, so bear with me. 

Then I looked at the shelf beside the computer, which also had a lot of "absolutely MUST read this" reading material. Enough is enough!

More reading material

So, I pulled the reading material from that shelf. 

Let's deal with this! 

By 9:15 AM, the empty boxes were neatly stored in the garage. Since I plan to use them as donation boxes, I'm OK with this. It's neat and tidy and off the garage floor, all is good. 

The empty boxes are stored in the garage

Then the box of magazines was emptied, and the reading material from the shelf was added to it. 

Some of the reading material

This is going to be very hard for me to deal with. I know - those of you who just grab and toss are shouting - just throw it! And I will, but I want to go through it first. However, I'll be much faster. I need to learn to let go of this stuff, so I have to do it at my own pace. I need to learn to let go of things like this! 

The entire stack is currently still sitting on the office floor, and I doubt I'll finish it today, but I'll try my best to get some of it gone. Maybe I should set a goal of tossing enough so that what's left fits back in the box. Just TEMPORARY!!! 

More reading material

The best part of all this is I KNOW BETTER. I know how to deal with it, and I will, but I just need time to get my brain around the fact that I don't need to read or even browse any of this stuff. 

Then I rearranged things on that little shelf so the box of paper crap that was in the corner is now on a shelf. 

Did you see that there is currently one empty shelf? Yes, I rearranged some things, but I'm OK with that. Sometimes you have to shuffle to make it look neater, and then I can tackle it when I'm ready. I will get it done. 

Filling up some space - temporarily

And now the floor where I pulled everything out is clear. Yeah!!! I'm getting so much better at this. One more hurdle to conquer - the magazines and papers. I'm getting there! While we don't want to dwell on the past, one must look at the successes we've had and celebrate them. Learn from them and move on! 

The clutter for the day is gone

What I need to decide is how to browse those magazines. I won't, can't, and don't want to read every word, but there's likely some tidbit that interests me. So the trick is to find that happy medium - read the article and toss the magazine. I have a whole stack of magazines to refine my technique! 

I went through my university's alumni magazine (Concordia in Montreal). I don't read them - I mostly browse the obituaries and see if anyone from my grade did anything exciting. Never! So why do I keep looking, as I really don't remember anyone much? 

But I came across this little gem. It was just a happy reminder of a great time. Instead of writing a thesis at the end of my MBA, Dominique and I organized the Concordia MBA Case Competition. It was, and still is, a huge event, and now schools from around the globe participate. We had to organize the event at a local hotel. Many schools across Canada participated, and we had to find judges, case studies, and arrange food for everyone for two or three days. It was a huge event, but we did a fantastic job, and it was loads of fun, despite the hard work, as we were still finishing our other classes at the same time! 

Article about the MBA Case Competition

I think it was shortly after we organized it that a committee took over, or something, although it's still mainly organized by the students. I even remember the black dress I bought ($700 in 1990) to attend and MC the finale! Imagine me in a little black dress! I loved that dress, but it's long gone! 

I must see if I can find any pictures of those events! 

This was the quote in my tea yesterday! Oh, how true --- I don't really need anything - I'm so happy with my personal growth and comfortable with myself that I need very little, which is why I'm happy with my faded shorts! 

Quote of the day

But speaking of acquiring things, what do you think of this? 

Can you see Murphy and Lexi in there?

The photo is probably generated by AI, but it's cute. But instead of me pushing them on a bicycle, they should be pulling me while I sit in the buggy!!

I bought a calendar a while back, not for the dates, but for the pictures of great places to hike. This is the Yukon. And this is so true! In 2010, I rode my bicycle up White's Pass in Alaska, and when I got to the top, the view was breathtaking. I'd been through the Rockies many times as a kid, but the top of White's Pass will blow you away. It was worth every pant and puff up the hill. Now this is NOT the view from White's Path, but it's close. 

The wide open spaces in the Yukon

And unlike other places, the highways in the Yukon are often located at the top or near the top of the hills, which provide stunning views. I'd go back in a heartbeat!!!!

OK - I've decided to divide and conquer those magazines. I just sorted them out somewhat, and you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what happens. Maybe nothing? Maybe a lot!!! 

Here's the Zoom link for today's virtual retreat. 

We start at NOON. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And it's Dad's 92nd birthday today! I will give him a call later this morning. Have a great day, Dad! It's Sunday, so hopefully he'll be home. Any moment, he can be at the Museum WORKING, he's there! 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Decluttering is so much fun!! (for real!)

Now you see why I'm not a gardener! I got the names of these flowers wrong. These are hyacinths, not hibiscus. Why did I do that? I know these flowers, but obviously had a moment. Oh yes - flowers - love them, but not my thing! I just enjoy the beauty! Thanks for catching that! I went back and changed it! 

Hyacinths! 

And I spotted another TREE that's in bloom. What kind of tree? No clue! And I don't really care - it's just pretty! 

A blooming tree in the neighborhood

A lot of things happened yesterday! If you remember, as I was writing the blog, I moved several boxes from the office to the kitchen counter. It looked like this. 

A mess of things to tidy!

And what usually happens when I do that is that it stays that way for days. I get all fired up and then - I get distracted, lose interest, and it all goes back to where I pulled it from. 

BUT not this time. By 9:20, after walking the girls, it looked like this. 

It's almost all dealt with

And by lunchtime, this was all gone! Yes — this decluttering is going to happen, and then I won't have to worry about it. I'll just need to stay on top of it! It makes me so happy and I can literally feel my life lengthening by dealing with my crap!

There are a few extra boxes at the door to be dropped off - one to be shredded, and a few for the thrift store. 

Now that all the items designated to go somewhere have been taken care of, it's time to find more things to get rid of. 

No danger of that - here's what the table in the office looks like. 

The table in the office

Yes -- we can actually see the edges of that table, which is good. Now that the other stuff is gone, my head is clear to deal with this stuff. And the best part is that there isn't really anything left on the floor that could go on the table. So when I clear a spot, it'll stay clear. Or so I hope! Remember, you MUST deal with everything! 

I'm happy to report that I'm not shuffling most of this stuff. In other words, I'm not putting things in the basement or the garage. I'm getting it out of the house! 

This is the top of the buffet, which has a few items to deal with. 

The top of the buffet

And there's the desk - still a disaster, but its turn will come! 

The desktop

And this is all that remains on the floor in the office. 

What's left on the floor

Those boxes are empty, and I use them for my sorting. I could technically put them in the garage so it looks neater in the house, and as I need a box, I can pull one from the shelf in the garage. I might do that today. That will leave three things behind the boxes, and I might just deal with them today. Oh yes - the more you get into decluttering, the more you want to get rid of! Just gone! It's been hanging around way too long. 

Then I can tackle the table, the top of the buffet, and that darn desk. All that will remain is what's on the bookcases. I'm getting there. Slow and steady - that's me! I'm also very methodical and need to go through everything. And you can't even yell at me for that because it's happening. If nothing was being done, then yes, you could yell. But I'm making progress, albeit in a roundabout way. 

The difference from a few years ago is a miracle! And I feel so much better about the space. I can't wait for the day when it's all clear. But that won't happen for a year or two at my pace. And the best part? When I bring the mail into the house, I deal with it right away. I don't think anything hits a surface unless it's supposed to! 

Wait -- I have this, which is currently at the front door, ready to be thrifted. If anyone wants it, it's yours. It's not functional - purely decorative. But it's been sitting in the office for a while, waiting for its turn to find a new home. 

Up for grabs

And I will NEVER knowingly buy anything that comes in these "decorative" boxes. These were sheets or something, and what a ridiculous packing system. I'll buy sheets that come in those zippered bags, but I'll never buy one in a stupid box like this again. I don't even know if they are recyclable, but I put them in the cart anyway. 

Stupid packaging!

WAIT -- I should write to the company to tell them how silly these boxes are! The ridiculous thing was, these weren't even on the shelf at Sleep Country. The staff had to go to the back to get the boxes, and then they wanted to give me a huge bag to carry the stuff home in. I refused the bag several times, as I already had my own shopping bag. Hey, people -- we're trying to reduce packaging. Cell phones and iPads are another item that comes in ridiculous boxes that never see the light of day on the shelf. Well, cell phones for sure. 

Something bad happened this morning. I have three Zoom sessions today, and I've been working on the presentations. Everything was going just fine. Except when I needed to grab some slides from one to put into another, and WHAT? One of the presentations with the changes was not there. I'm using autosave, and the files are stored on my OneDrive, but it reverted to the files from last month. NOOOOOOOOOOO

Thankfully, with the help of my handy filing system, I was able to recreate the presentation in about 20 minutes, but it was still a pain! I was all excited about how well everything was going. It could have been me, it could have been a gremlin. We'll never know, but let's hope that it doesn't happen again. 

OH -- here's a flower that I do know. The trillium, which is just about to bloom. 

Almost-in-bloom trillium

I am certainly not about fuss, especially in the kitchen. We had some Calphalon pots and pans, which were supposed to last forever, or something like that. Even though we used wooden or plastic spoons, the inside of two of them is disgusting. We've probably ingested a ton of metal. Anyway, time to replace them, so I went to Homesense and found two inexpensive Cuisinart pots. If they crap out - no worries. 

But while I was there, I wandered around for a bit, and here's all the stuff I didn't buy, but would have in a past life. 

The plastic Buddhas would look cool in the garden! But not bright enough! 

Plastic Buddhas for the garden

The miniature 3-D kits, which are $10 cheaper than at Indigo. I already have one that I haven't done yet, I don't need another. 

Miniature 3-D kits

Markers - who doesn't need a new set of markers? I don't, so they stayed in the store, but I wonder if they work on the digital cutters? 

Markets -- lots of markers!

Funky reading glasses, but alas, they did not have my strength (1.25), so I didn't buy them. 

Funky reading glasses

And let's not forget these large letters. I don't know how many I've purchased over the years. I don't need more! 

The letter E

So yes, I only bought what I went for and I'm pretty proud of myself for that! 

However, I went to the library to pick up a book that I ordered, and I came home with three. At least they are free to borrow, and they do have to be returned! I also took pictures of about five other books that looked interesting and will add them to my list to read. That list is enormous and seems to grow almost exponentially!

I put on shorts this morning when I got up, but I've since put on pants. It's a bit cool even though the temperature is 13 - it's cloudy and I think it's going to rain. 

My sad, faded shorts

So the only fast fashion that happens at my house is running shoes. I've had those shorts for eons! And they still fit (a bit big, if I might add!), but there's nothing wrong with them, except that they've faded big time on the legs! They are no longer black but have faded to a brown color. I'm sure DH is mortified when I wear them, which is probably why I keep wearing them! But they are still functional, with no holes or tears! I have sweatshirts in the same condition. They are faded, but why should they be replaced? 

I'm not into shopping for clothes at all. The most boring thing in the world, and such a waste of money to buy new, when the old still works. 

On the other hand, I replace my running shoes several times a year as they wear out. As you saw last week, the treads were entirely gone on the previous pair, which means they were long overdue for replacement. I wonder what we could do about recycling them? 

Anyway, I noticed that on this pair of HOKAs, they have changed something. They have reinforced the second hole at the top. I bet lots of people are using those little holes. I do! 

Reinforcement at the top

You loop the laces through that hole and then use that loop as a hole. It helps prevent your feet from sliding into the toe box and causing lost toenails. Especially handy if you have a lot of downhill to do. I learned that from walking the Camino! Of course - AFTER I had issues the first time. 

Creating a second loop

Oh, one last thing, and speaking of the mail. We got this letter in the mail yesterday. 

A letter from the government!

You all know what that is for - jury duty, but who got the letter? Apparently, DH has something in writing (he insists he has a picture of it) that he will never be called for jury duty again, so it wasn't him. I've been called twice and had to stay for one day the first time. The second time, I was interviewed to be on the jury, but I was rejected because of what I do. A bit too artsy fartsy for the lawyer. And I've never been called back. Drat - I like going! 

Nope - this was addressed to my 87-year-old MIL, who, well, as far as I'm concerned, needs to be in assisted living, but DH is in denial. I'm not going there! Of all the people to be called, and this is not the first time - her name seems to come up very frequently! 

Here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. I forgot to post them yesterday. 

Saturday, April 26 - starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, April 27 - starts at Noon

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And on that funny note, I'm out of here! Hopefully, the presentations won't glitch out, and everything will be fine! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!