Aug 2009
I know who dun it
Monday, August 31, 2009
No sense in keeping old mysteries around that I won’t read again. These are so common that even Chronicles of Crime won’t take them on a trade in. I’ll have to find some other crime fiction to get rid of so I can get a used copy of the latest Jack Reacher novel. Kellerman is always reliable, Patricia Cornwell not so much anymore. The book underneath is Prey, which was just awful, though her first books were a good read. The cherry tomatoes are ripening. I have a variety this year called Sweet Baby Girl. My favourite ever. Must remember to plant it again next year.
Roll away
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Hasn’t everyone had one of these at one time or another? I have thought about getting rid of this massage roller for years already. I would pick it up from its home in a basket in the living room (where the plan was to pull it out while watching TV and give my back and shoulders a wee massage) and think I should get rid of it because I never, ever used it. Then I would actually try it out again for 30 seconds or so, feel momentarily great and get a bit of circulation going, and put it back in the basket. This time I am motivated to banish it for good. And though it crossed my mind to dismantle the roller and keep the wooden beads to give to my mother to incorporate into the macrame wall hanging she began in 1975 and still hasn’t finished (it hangs three quarters knotted in a hallway at her house), I resisted the urge.
Catch me if you can
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Today there was an article in the paper about preserving food, highlighting how popular canning is becoming again. It mentioned that old Mason jars were getting harder to find at thrift stores. Perhaps that’s why this box of jars disappeared from the curb while other items were left behind. I thought I had gotten rid of all of my jars (April 26), but turned out there were more hiding in the shed that was torn down. I don’t think I will ever have enough produce in my garden to get into canning, and for now I’m not inclined to buy large quantities from the market. I dehydrate apples from our trees and we make and freeze lots of pesto from our basil, but the rest of the veggies are eaten as fast as they mature. Our regular stir fry now contains bright yellow patty pan squash along with the kale. The mushrooms and garlic are from the store. Unfortunately our garlic crop was very small this year and we’ve already eaten all of it.
Firing blanks
Friday, August 28, 2009
When designing and printing a big job, the printer will often make up blank sample books using different paper stock, covers and binding, so the designer can figure out exactly what she wants. These two big books (they are each over an inch thick, nice heavy paper) weren’t from one of my projects, but some fellow designers were sending them to recycling so of course I snagged them, thinking I might give them to my nephews at some point. Tonight I met with someone who has a young son, so I brought them along, hoping the boy might want to use them for writing or sketching. Phew! I didn’t have to bring them home again. Random flowers are a beautiful bouquet I received on my birthday in May from the same friends I got the paper from. Thanks! They were stunning.
Ban this candle
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Another candle holder. I actually was delusional enough to think I might one day take all the beads off the wires and make something else out of the beads. I’m sure it would have taken an hour to cut all the tiny wires, and then I would have had a small container full of beads hanging around for another few years. Best to ditch the whole thing. Random vegetation is from a conifer in May. No idea what kind, but loved the colours.
Old New Scientist
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
It’s not just me getting rid of stuff. I’m so pleased my husband is sorting through his things as well. New Scientist is a weekly magazine. That’s 52 issues every year. My husband has been subscribing since the mid-90s. Do the math. Of course the information is always useful and might be needed for reference. Thank goodness for the internet. New Scientist now has back issues available online. I’ve had an ad up on craigslist to give these issues away, but no response in two weeks. A box of them was also outside on the lawn, but although we saw a couple of people look through the box, I don’t think they took even a single magazine. So today, recycling day, a huge box of these went to the curb. Random flower is a stem of lewisia flowers in a tiny vase.
No pressure
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
This was in the shed. It went off to metal recycling with a few other things. Must have weighed 15 pounds. One of those things that ends up in a shed, me thinking someday I’ll find a use for it. I had it out on the street for a few days, but no one took it. Here’s another photo of my crew doing the demo.
Fan go
Monday, August 24, 2009
My garden helper took this little fan. Too bad I wasn’t here during the heat wave a few weeks ago to give it to him then. I’m glad I was out of the country, enjoying warm weather that wasn’t extreme. We have two other fans, and I’m thinking of getting one of the tall cylindrical ones next year. The big oscillating one I have now is too powerful and noisy, even on the lowest setting. I have to set it up outside the bedroom, in the hallway, and point it towards the bedroom doorway. Otherwise it’s like being outside on a windy day. This one hasn’t been used in two or three years — can you see the dust on it? Random flower is a Rudbeckia fulgida “Goldsturm.” They are just beginning to bloom. Cheerful and showy, when not much else is flowering.
Ephemera
Sunday, August 23, 2009
This is an extremely old calendar. I forget now for which year. I have always kept it for the pretty poppies. My friend collects ephemera too, so I am happy that she is giving this a new home. Random flower is clematis jackmanii. Most of the blossoms are fading now, but the vine was loaded this year. Spectacular. Short post because the final between Federer and Djokovic has just started. I think I will pour a wee drink and enjoy the match.
Know when to fold ’em
Saturday, August 22, 2009
I have gotten rid of enough magazines (and more to go) that I no longer need these magazine holders. Anyone want the first two and a half years of InStyle magazine? Including the prototype issue with Kirstie Alley on the cover and the first official issue with Barbra Streisand on the front? How about a couple of years of Utne Reader. New Scientist? Just ask. My friend is setting up a new home office, so she took the magazine holders. Random flower is impatiens from a shady side bed.
Shedding
Friday, August 21, 2009
I know I didn’t post yesterday. Was busy finishing the removal of stuff from two sheds, phoning with the builders of the new shed, and trying to get some work done. Today a three-person crew came to demolish the sheds and take as much as possible to the big wood chipper at the dump, and the rest, well, I’ll have to ask forgiveness for generating some trash. Ever since Christmas Day, when the roof of the big shed collapsed under the weight of uncharacteristically heavy snowfall, there has been a tarp over the big shed and it has not been safe. Having to take everything out, starting with some stuff that was ruined after getting wet in the collapse, has been a good exercise for me. I’ve always kept odd pieces of wood and metal and tiles and windows and screens and pots and containers and so on. After storing these sorts of things for 10 years and not ever using them, it was time for them to go. Some things went earlier and have shown up in previous posts. There will be more posts to come. Here are before and after photos of the shed. A pair of rubber boots went to one of the guys tearing things down. The new shed is being built at the end of next week. We tore down two sheds but are only rebuilding one, and at a smaller size than the larger one we used to have. I think we’ll do fine with less space. It will be dry and rat proof. Yippee!
Tick tock we are all getting older
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
It’s a birthday today. Not mine. Went out for dinner (2 for 1 coupon but at a very fancy place). Thought about having a martini. $18. So I just thought about it. Gave this clock away. Enough reminders around here that time never takes a nap. A dear friend gave it to me years ago (thanks E!), along with a beautiful matching frame. I will keep the frame forever and ever, but the clock has a new happy home.
Spare pair
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I just came back from a trip to Germany. There are lots of shoe stores in Germany with beautiful, stylish, comfortable shoes. I returned with two new pairs. So I have to get rid of some old ones I haven’t been wearing. This is another pair from my mother — she was getting rid of them and instead of letting her follow through, I took them, thinking I might one day wear them. I must have been having a skinny feet day at the time, because they certainly don’t fit comfortably now. Oh, the spreading toes of middle age....
Cassette goodbye
Monday, August 17, 2009
Gotta love freecycling. This was one of the fastest removals ever. We put this cassette player (a terrific Yamaha deck in its time) out on the lawn with the standard “free” sign and not ten minutes later it was gone. Didn’t see who nabbed it. We still have a stack of Yamaha components, but it’s a shorter stack now. Can’t remember the last time I played a cassette. I still have a blaster somewhere if I really can’t live without hearing Hang Out Your Poetry by Ceremony again. I’ll throw in a random baby today because the cassette player is not very attractive. The little girl is years older now, part of my extended family.
Slow leak
Sunday, August 16, 2009
I recently took a long plane trip. Took out my travel pack of inflatable pillow, airplane slippers and sleep mask. Duly blew up the pillow in flight, but it didn’t hold air. These days most plane seats have adjustable headrests that bend sideways to support your head. This type of pillow isn’t really needed anymore. I am not going to try and find the leak and patch it. I think it is more that the seams aren’t completely sealed anymore. The blackberries are freshly picked from the neighbour’s patch. Ate a bowl of them for breakfast.
The fountain is dry
Saturday, August 15, 2009
My cats loved, loved, loved this drinking bowl/fountain. But it ran on electricity 24 hrs a day and the filter needed regular replacement and it seemed whenever I went to the pet store there were no filters in stock. The worst feature of this CatIt product though was that it became very slimy very quickly and had to be completely dismantled and carefully washed. Taking it apart was not easy. Whoever designed it made it really tough to keep clean. So as much as the cats, in particular Mika, enjoyed drinking the moving water as it burbled over the top dome, it is now being recycled. I can’t recommend this product. The fig was part of my breakfast this morning. Fresh picked from our tree. Yum.
Not enough sunshine in my life
Friday, August 14, 2009
We used this a few times after we bought it. Have misplaced the bottom of the sunbrella stand though, the part that sticks into the lawn to raise the shade high enough to sit under. The main issue is we don’t get much sunshine in our yard, and don’t do much sitting around. There are always weeds to pull and plants to trim. If I do sit for a few minutes, I usually don’t mind a few rays. This has been stored in the shed and has a few rat nibbles in the fabric.
Boxed out
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Totally forgot to post yesterday. Here are two items. One is a box of stationery. Cheap stationery. I won it as a door prize. I was going to keep the box and put some lovely handmade paper over it but that would be another project wouldn’t it? The other is a little glass jar with a metal lid. Came with a vanilla scented candle, which I burned. Can’t think of what to put in it now that the candle is gone.
So maybe I'll die a little sooner
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I have leafed through this book but haven’t really read it. My bad. It was published about 20 years ago, so perhaps some of the information is now obsolete. I’ve got the internet if I really want to know how much potassium I need, or if royal jelly cures anything. I take every supplement under the sun and then some, but I’m pretty sure I’ll keel over right on genetic schedule despite the boost. The name of this plant/flower escapes me at the moment. Starts with p.
Tip out the teapot
Monday, August 10, 2009
This was only ever decorative. Never once used it to make tea. But it sort of matched a set of kitchen canisters I have somewhere (not in the kitchen) and so I picked it up from somewhere. I think it might have come from my mother’s house – something she was actually going to get rid of – and silly me interrupted this little teapot’s journey to a 2nd hand store. Now it will finally reach its destination, after a long stay at my place. Random cat is Barger, in one of his favourite positions.
Clearing out the closet
Sunday, August 09, 2009
I’m back from overseas. Lovely long visit with my great aunt and her family. Didn’t speak English for ten days. Back to work tomorrow. Here’s a catch-up post. Too many clothes. I have a bad habit of keeping them around long after I’ve stopped wearing them. My husband as well. First there’s the decision to get rid of an item. Then a discussion about whether or not it would make a good work shirt or painting shirt. Follow up question: would it make a good rag? So many uses for clothes besides wearing them. But none of these will end up as rags or work shirts. They are outta here. Seven shirts, five pairs of pants, a blouse and a blazer.
