Racing to December

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you all doing?

How is the weather where you live?

These are a few photos of the weather over the past week or so.

This kind of weather calls for stick to your ribs foods and 'warming' foods so there's been plenty of that.

My health has been up and down as it usually is at this time of year. Whenever I'm fighting a cold I don't have much energy except for watching something on television or Netflix or one of the other streaming services. Sometimes I also start a project. I started making a few dishcloths but ran out of yarn. Maybe I'll get back to Michael's soon. I'm only buying small skeins of cotton yarn since Michael's no longer sells the large skeins of cotton. At least not the branches I visit.

I've slowed down on the big declutter project though this week I managed to sort a few papers and declutter a 4 foot Christmas tree and some Christmas ornaments.  

Even though I've decluttered quite a bit I've decided the 4 foot tree is too wide in circumference and I've opted for a taller and skinnier tree. They're called Pencil Trees because they are very thin.  This kind of tree will fit much better into my small living space.  The other tree which I purchased a few years ago has been given to a friend of mine who said he was going to go shopping for Christmas decorations and a tree.  I delivered the tree and baubles to him on Tuesday night since he lives within walking distance.  I'm happy he will be able to make good use of it.

What is keeping you busy in your neck of the woods or your part of the world?  Are you ready for Christmas.  

I guess in the USA they will soon enjoy Thanksgiving first but we in Canada celebrated in October. I'm always grateful for a longer period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It gives us more time to savour each holiday and to prepare for the next.

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts on weather and your activities. Until next time, please take care. 🎄🎄🎄

All in a Tuesday's Work

Hi dear friends and fellow bloggers,

It's still quite warm where I live.  I don't have air conditioning so I rely on fans and keeping windows open for fresh air too.  It's quite hot and stale indoors but often it's quite a bit cooler when I step outside.

I've been busy for several days washing and cleaning items in the master bedroom, trying to make sure as much dust and dirt is cleaned as possible before contents are returned on Thursday. Today I got rid of another large piece of furniture that won't be going back into the bedroom.  

One of the dresser drawers had been jammed for a long time.  I tried hard to open it without entirely damaging the drawer in case someone wants to salvage it.  It's solidly built and could be sanded and shined. I had to remove 2 panels of wood to push the drawer from the back. I'd keep it if I had more room but I'm trying to make 'breathing space' in the master bedroom. 

I decluttered 3 large pieces so far (big screen television, large stationary bike & this dresser).  I'll also be getting rid of an office chair too.  It feels good to make more space in the master bedroom. 

A few items were removed from the drawers and tossed as they are mostly old magazines that are no longer useful.

I enjoyed this Bento box after a bank run.

There were some lovely clouds in the sky to gaze upon. The following photos were taken at 9:30 p.m. but I have noticed it is getting a bit darker earlier in the evenings than a few weeks ago.  Though it's still summer, I get a bit melancholy as the summer draws closer to an end. I enjoy the fall season a lot but it doesn't last so long and then there is winter.

A pretty evening sky.

It's still quite light out at almost 9:30 p.m.

I went a bit further afield for veggies and fruits on Friday.

Pretty in purpose but I don't know what it is.

Another purple flower that I don't recognize.

Tomorrow is already Wednesday. I'm hoping to paint inside the master bedroom closets. The contractor was quite lazy and refused to do an iota of work beyond strict parameters of insurance restoration claims.  He wouldn't even leave me the paint to do it myself but when I told him that's what others have done he reluctantly left me a bit of paint so my task will be a touch up only which is fine since it's expected to be very hot tomorrow.

Update on the Current To Dos

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all fine today.

It's been a busy day for me after a night of insufficient sleep.  After a period of dormancy and lack of action it seems things are moving forward at last on both indoor and outdoor repairs.

There wasn't much happening outside today. It seems they were removing garbage and excess materials in preparation for the final restoration work to be done. I'm hoping it will be done soon because it is already going on 6 months of work. Mostly work that has occurred elsewhere on the property, not on my own balcony. 

The work hasn't progressed beyond this point.

Indoors, the insurance adjuster came at last to inspect the interior damage and work to be done. It was a pro forma visit just to add something to her files because the household insurance will not be responsible for the interior renovation work.  The strata building's insurance provisions have been triggered and work will be done by a contractor of the strata's choosing. The same company that did the emergency work will do the interior repairs. Someone is arriving shortly to take an overview and make sure he and his crew are prepared for the actual repair work with the needed supplies.

I'm happy about that because now I will make sure that I bring two areas to their attention which were not captured in the original report. One of the items is the malfunctioning bathroom exhaust fan. It stopped working shortly after the water leak and I believe the motor probably died due to excessive water contact. So I'll bring it up today and see how it goes. In the meantime, I removed the old fan and I'm cleaning out the opening. It's so full of heavy duty dust. I was shocked since I'm always vacuuming the ventilation screen at least every week. In any case, it is a good opportunity to make sure things are nice and clean.

Old fan full of lint/dust

In fact, I ordered a fan from Amazon and was simply going to install it myself. However the fan arrived in obviously used condition without instructions. In addition, it is much smaller and lighter than the original fan despite my checking to make sure it was the right model etc. So I will be shipping it back. If the insurance doesn't cover a replacement, I'll take the old motor to Home Depot and make sure I get something that will work.

New fan & motor

I've been cleaning out several boxes that the movers packed and stored in the master bedroom closet. I got rid of a lot. Most of which has become trash because I've kept it so long without using it.

I need to take another good hard look at things and get rid of even more.  I'm just so over keeping things for possible later use.  I'm also more resolved then ever not to hang on to things or to over buy things. I've observed that things end up not being used once they are stored away because I never see them and then it becomes clutter and ultimately gets tossed out or given away. Either way, it is a wasteful practice.  Overall, I'm making progress in not buying so much. NowI just need to make more progress in downsizing my possessions. I'm getting my DH to do the same because he has accumulated a lot since joining me.

When I need a break from insurance and renovation issues, I'm usually looking at small home improvements. It takes time to consider what needs to be done and even more time to look for budget friendly solutions then going out to find them in stores or on line.  I make small progress here and there. I also continue to read when I need a break. Right now I'm making progress on reading these books.

Books 35 & 36

Book #37

I've also decluttered a few books that I picked up free over the years.

I'm not sure how many of you noticed that I've posted every day for 61 days ending on Canada Day, July 1st. It was a bit of an experiment and I think the first time I've ever done that over all these years of blogging. I now plan to cut back a bit and enjoy the rest of the summer. 

Thank you for visiting and commenting. I always love to read your comments and visit your blogs. Those of you who blog regularly will know that I'm a prolific blog reader and commenter. I enjoy reading about what you're up too and letting you know I visited by leaving a comment. I figure that if I take the time to read, it is only an extra minute to leave a comment.

That's it for now. Take care until next time.

The Weekend Happenings So Far

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I finally made it to the community garden plot to do some weeding and some harvesting.  But I only made it there very late in the day and it was cloudy, a bit cold and threatening rain so I didn't stay long. 

Sadly, I didn't get any photos at the park. I'd forgotten my phone when I left the house. It's the second time I've done that in as many weeks.  I always feel a bit lost when I've forgotten the phone because I rely on it for all kinds of things like checking store hours and locations, testing my blood glucose, checking the transit schedules and taking photos of my outings to name a few tasks.

At the garden I plucked out quite a lot of weeds and harvested a bit of purple Kale and Swiss Chard. I hope to make juice later on and add it to some ginger and lemons.  I'm hoping to get back to the garden soon to finish the weeding and harvest more Kale and Swiss Chard since that is mostly what I'm growing. Last time I picked some strawberries, chives and sweet peas but the chives are well past their best and the sweet pea plants withered and died. I'm not sure why. DH is in charge of the watering and I think the soil seems a bit too sandy. The compost we were provided at the beginning of the season seemed like it was mostly sand.

Anyway, I'm glad I made it to the garden because I've been trying to get there all week.  I only did about half of the weeding that needs to be done. Hopefully I can make it to the garden again before Tuesday to continue the work.

I need to be home on Tuesday for various reasons, mainly because I'm expecting an Amazon delivery of a replacement bathroom fan.  I think mine stopped working when we had the water leak a few weeks ago. So much water came down and I heard that moisture can affect the fan. It only makes sense. I can see all the rust in different areas of the fan and box from the different leaks coming from upstairs over the years.

It might have been cheaper to go to Home Depot and get a fan but then I need to expend the energy to get there and back,  find the time to actually go there and then find someone to help me once there.  I've got too many things to do this week.  I've saved myself some time if it fits.  If it doesn't I'll send it back and go to Home Depot next weekend.

Bathroom exhaust needs replacing.

I also have a parcel to pick up at the post office.  If the Amazon delivery gets here early, I'd like to pick up my parcel.  I'm hoping that something I ordered fits and is comfortable enough to wear to the  Rolling Stones concert on Friday.  Otherwise I'll have to dig in my suitcases and see what I have.  I'm still camped out in the living room and most of my clothing is not accessible as it's in storage.

The decluttering continues this weekend. I've got most of one big box from the master bedroom cleared out and I have one more to sort.  In the meantime, I decluttered a few more items from the bathroom counter.  Every little bit helps.

Last, but not least, I completed the novel, The Victory Garden. It's about a young woman from a posh family who decides to volunteer for the war effort during WW1. Her fiance dies in battle but she discovers she's with child. She decides not to tell her parents and sets out to find a way to survive. In the end, she is reunited with her parents.  The story by Rhys Bowen is poignant and sensitively written. I recommend it.

Well that's my weekend so far. How is your weekend going?

It's Anti-Procrastination Day

Hello dear friends, 

It's Wednesday here as I write this post.  It started raining today which is a nice change.  It will water the garden well and freshen everything up a bit.  I was going to make a trip to the community garden today but delayed it due to the rain. I need to do a bit of weeding and some harvesting, mainly swiss chard and kale.

I've just come back from a quick shopping trip to buy more toilet paper. During the promotional sale DH and I bought 8 packages (12 rolls each) of toilet paper and 2 packages (4 rolls each) of paper towels. It isn't a lot but it will help carry us for several months by which time there will likely be another promotional sale.

I was very tired today because I didn't sleep well at all last night. This is the first time in a long while that I haven't slept well. It means my sleep has improved considerably over these past several months.  Despite sleeping very little, I awoke early because the light was very bright coming through the blinds and the workers were here working on the patio.  I busies myself with this and that, including a load of laundry, washing dishes and making a few meals ahead.  

We had a sheet pan dinner tonight of pork shops and vegetables. I also made meat sauce for spaghetti and froze it. Lastly, I made Shepherd's Pie to have on Thursday along with a nice salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and avocados.

Before the filling is topped with mashed potatoes. 

I put shredded kale in the Sheperd's Pie and the meat sauce to boost the nutritional content and to make sure the kale didn't go bad.

In Fly Lady Land (a home cleaning system), Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day.  One of the things I've been putting off is sorting through what used to be kept in a small cabinet in the master bedroom. The movers packed the cabinet's contents into boxes.  Now I'm going through it all to get rid of as much as possible while the bedroom furniture is still in storage. I made a good start and will continue over the next few days.

I'll also try to give away the small bags in the photos but the rest of the items are headed to trash because they are expired or used.

Earlier this week I was also able to declutter several more magazines and a set of oven gloves which I'm hoping to give away. 

All in all, it's been a good week so far. I'm meeting a friend on Thursday for a long overdue lunch date.  Friday marks the beginning of a long weekend in my province.  I'm hoping to make more progress in decluttering this week while the weather is inclement because I have a busy week or two ahead after that and I'm anticipating the renovations in the master bedroom to begin after the long weekend. I haven't been given a start date but will be calling the strata manager to find out where things are at. I was kind of hoping the patio renovation might be done before the bedroom renovations begin.

Is it a long weekend where you are? Do you have fun plans? 

Thank you for stopping by!