Def-y's Categorizing: October 2010 Archives

Actually, I probably don't have more to do than anyone else, but I'm a bit scrambled, trying to decide the order in which to attack it all. Usually I prioritize based on what deadline is going to bite me in the butt first, and that usually works pretty well, but I'm going to have to work more efficiently than usual for a while.

I started working in the gardens earlier than usual, but I let a lot of good gardening days get by me. We've decided to ask our favorite landscape company for a little help with the lawns and leaves. However, the forecast for the next 48 hours is HIGH WINDS!!!, so we may not need any help with the leaves, unless we get leaves from Iowa while ours go off to the east.

I cut down the peonies on Friday, and Dear Husband carted all my composting trash out to the back. I still have some tomato plants to pull, and before Thanksgiving, I'll have to cut down the ornamental plant that is trying to block my sidewalk (an artemisia, I think)! But, most of my gardening is almost done.

The Empty Nester sewing group is going to be here tomorrow, so I've been working on kits for them, and tonight we reorganized the area where they will be meeting. We added leaves to the table, swapped out a burned out light bulb, and moved the long library table from my studio out to the kitchen. Tomorrow I have to bring out the ironing board, and iron, and generally set up for the meeting. I want to move Halloween decorations in place for them, too, but I'm going to wait to hang the bats. I don't want to give one of them a heart attack when a plastic bat comes flying at them!

My weekend is booked up, but Monday afternoon I can get back to washing interior windows. I have some plants that I'm FINALLY going to toss out, and several closets to clean. Then, I need to get back to sorting out some of my mother's things. I guess, I'll have to clean one day, and organize the next, and work on Thanksgiving plans the following day.

Let's see....Empty Nester's, the quilting bee, and Thanksgiving, and Christmas.....Christmas cookies, and decorations and.hmmmm,,,,do I want to do cards this year? SO many things to distract me! *G*

'Tis the week or weekend for the bringing home of the boat! YEA!!!!

We're not exactly sure when that's going to happen. Dear Husband has to coordinate the un-stepping of the mast at the park district, with the company that will lift the Arr!! out. Everyone is just a bit iffy about how much work they have, so DH is trying to get in touch to see what their plans are.

If we are very very lucky, he will go this evening to get the boat ready, and the mast will be taken down early tomorrow morning. Then, he'll have to motor to the company that does the lifting and wait in line. He could possibly be lifted out on Thursday afternoon and be on his way home in the same day, or this could stretch out until Saturday.

This will be the last time this year I will have to sleep alone due to the boat. In that sentence, there is a blessing and a sadness! lol There's a lot to be said about both situations.

Everyone who knows me knows that it is my job to worry. I've already started worrying about bringing the boat home. The past few years we've had a lot of nightmares getting it home, and I worry not for the boat but for Dear Husband. I'll be glad when they are both home safely.

At exercise this week, our guru had a suggestion for those of us who have leg cramps.

She told us that if you press one of your fingers hard beneath your nose for a count of eight long breaths, the cramp should abate.

I think this might be called "accu-pressure."

Lynda, our guru, said that it had worked with the three people she had suggested it to. It seems well worth trying. Dear Husband gets leg cramps. Next time, I'll try this on him.

Let me know if it works for you, won't you?

I was running errands earlier this week, listening to my favorite radio station. They have a new morning announcer I haven't particularly liked, but he said something that blew me away. Basically, he said that if he didn't like how something was being done, rather than complain he would take responsibility for doing it right.

We ALL complain about how things are run, done, accomplished or not accomplished, but how often do we step up to the plate and say, "I'll do it!"?? There are times when I have complained, but I couldn't see my way to a better solution. I think it's okay to say we don't like something, but wouldn't it be refreshing if, when we complain or criticize, we also offer to step up to the plate and take over the problem?

I tend to listen to talk radio, and have heard some incredibly simple, fair solutions to problems that we are experiencing in government now. Why is it that these well thought out ideas are not getting heard by those who could implement them? We are so overburdened by government that our democracy is going to sink, yet we continue to implement laws and systems that require more man-hours to oversee than we can afford. Does this make sense to you?

Here are some suggestions that we could consider.

A federal tax of 15% for everyone. No loopholes. A similar tax, at a lower rate, for states. Our taxes would become instantly easier to prepare and we wouldn't need so many IRS agents to audit tax returns.

A consistent form of taxation for everyone, to support education. Ending the use of property tax to fund education. Funding to be based on both the number of students in a school district, and base rates for each school. Towns/cities could levy taxes for additional support, if they wished.

A limit of two to four years on welfare, unless you are disabled. Assistance to train or retrain for a job during that time, to prepare you to support yourself.

Requiring our federal Senators and Congressmen to use the same Social Security and health care system that they have created for us.

Limiting Congressional Pensions

Requiring the budget to be balanced. Cutting back across the board in every department.

And while we are at it, let's limit campaigning for office to six months, and limit the amount which can be spent on a campaign.

I bet you have more suggestions. I'd be happy to hear them. I think it's time for the people of the United States to become responsible for their own government.

Occasionally something at the Yahoo home page will catch my eye and I'll click on it. Today, there were two reports on the subject of how often do you clean bed linens and towels. Do you remember when we used to have chores assigned to days? Monday was wash day, I think. Now, it seems as though EVERY day is wash day!

I usually wash sheets and pillowcases once or twice a week. If it's been very warm, and we have perspired while sleeping, I might change them more frequently. And, if I have had to use ointment on my fingers, I'll change the bedding more often, so that it doesn't have a chance to set into the fibers. Apparently, I'm doing fine with the sheets, but I should be washing the mattress pad every two to four weeks, and I probably do it four times a year.

I very rarely wash the quilts on my bed. Quilts were not mentioned specifically, but comforters should be washed monthly, and duvets should be washed weekly. If you share your bed with a pet, you want to wash the bedding frequently to remove pet dander and dead skin cells. Be sure to dry the bedding thoroughly so that you don't create a habitat for mold spores to thrive.

Pillows should be washed every six months. If you wash a down pillow, dry it with a couple of clean tennis balls to fluff the feathers. A zippered cover for a pillow should be washed weekly.

This is the season of flu and colds, and attending to the laundry more frequently is one step you can take to preserve your health.

As for towels, the article recommended that you have FOUR SETS of towels per person in the house, and that it's a good idea to color code them so that they are not shared. The reason for four --- one in the hamper, one on the towel bar, one in the wash, and a spare. Wash cloths are especially risky breeding grounds for germs, so it's important that they not be used by more than one person. When you've used a towel, spread it out on the towel bar, to help it to dry out.

We have two towels in three shades of green, and two towels in shades of pink to rose. We never share a used bath towel, but I don't assign one color to Dear Husband and one to me. Actually, we do share one towel. I have one that hangs in the sink area, and we tend to dry hands on that towel. I might need to rethink that this winter. I have to admit I tend to fold my towel neatly, and DH slings his over his towel bar. All this time I've been ticked that he doesn't fold it, and he's been doing the right thing. I don't think I'll tell him about all this.....