I've been working hard, helping little bird clear clutter (more on that later), and babysitting my granddaughters. Not where I want to be but I'm comfortable getting some things accomplished.
Today I'm working at the home office of a colleague, who is in New Holland, PA. He was amazed that I could stay so cozy and comfortable in the van at night, just using his shower in the mornings. Heck, even the port-a-potty got some use in the middle of the chilly night. I've stayed a few days now and expect to finish a major piece of the project before heading back to little bird's house closer to Royersford this evening.
Little bird got an "intervention" from her son and I earlier this month. EVERYTHING MUST GO!!! She is finally letting go of stuff. I made it clear and her son made it clear that WE are NOT going to clean it up. SHE must CLEAN IT UP and LET IT GO! There is a pathological clutter problem, really a hoarding problem and she's too great a person to allow this to go on any longer. Every word she says about hopes and dreams is about "one day when my house is clean". Yo! Clean it today, one square foot at a time.
I posted a bit about the issue earlier in my blog. I'm a minimalist, neat freak, with delusions of simplicity. For awhile I allowed myself to suffer as her roommate, freely "helping" by cleaning entire rooms only to come home from work to see them trashed. I finally told her how it made me feel. Her son confronted her on her belief that the clutter and mess came only from the time she had hand surgery. I had believed that, until he pointed out to her that this problem has been around since he was small. He cried as he told her that the way they lived hurt him and made his early life difficult. He was pushed to a tiny area of a cluttered room with barely enough room for his bed. He showed her pictures of it before she would accept what she had done to him. I showed her pictures of the kitchen as it would look to me after a hard day at work, then coming home to food leavings and dirty dishes everywhere, when I had cleaned it up before leaving for work! Never again!
I only spend my energy giving her moral support now, because she asked for help. Help can only be moral support. Nobody else can clean up her life and expect that the lesson will take. She simply has to do the inner work to ensure that happens.
So, I'm finishing up here at work, then next week I'm headed back to Missouri for the winter. I want to winterize my tiny trailer and settle in with my new kittens. I'll travel again when the cold season is nearly over, taking a kitten or two with me.
Showing posts with label Clutter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clutter. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How the Other Half Lives
I'm determined to relax today, after spending all day yesterday at a client site in Trenton, NJ. The things I'll do for money! LOL
It was a pretty intense day, lots of traveling, and a certain amount of stress. Now I'm processing that day, and taking care of miscellaneous items for today. An order to the Spice House for powdered tomatoes went to my address in Missouri. That's so odd because they switched the billing for the shipping address, but that's not what the screen print said. The credit card wouldn't have gone through if they used it when I hit the confirm button. So, my much sought after tomato powder is in Missouri, while I'm in Pennsylvania planning a hiking adventure where I wanted to use the powdered tomatoes to make delicious concoctions along the trail. Now I'll have to go to REI and to Whole Foods to see if they have it. Maybe I'll go to Kimberton Whole Foods and see what they have. I don't feel like working much today, anyway.
I took pictures of the house of clutter, or how "the other half lives." I have permission and I'm not invading little bird's privacy. She knows there is a problem and is trying to work on it. Apparently, clutter becomes invisible after a certain number of years. I've documented clutter piles that have not materially changed for the past three years. The basement is an utter disaster, both as a fire hazard and as a health hazard from the mold and dust. At least the stairs are being kept clean for a change. Here are some examples of the living areas and the basement.
This is the dining room:
More of the dining room:
Dining room, continued:
The entry way, better hope you don't have to come in or go out of this doorway:
The living room, which is 2000% better than when I started the project several years ago:
That blue styrofoam container is my fault. I didn't toss it last night when I finished the mushrooms. The difference with me is that I will see it and take care of it when I see it. That is not how the rest of the household clutter is handled. For now we have finished the kitchen, though clutter is starting to build up at the basement door, making it hard to go downstairs to do the laundry. That is a "tolerance" and keeps one from actively doing the laundry, because the laundry becomes a project, not a task. The project is to clear the door several times, replacing the clutter each time, as you start the wash, dry the wash, and get the wash. Inevitably, you never "get the wash" and that becomes clutter on its own. The pile of clean laundry in front of the dryer is a sad testament to waste, because that laundry used energy, water, and detergent to become "clean", but is trodden on the floor of the basement because it is all too much to contemplate. There is too much "project" going on in this house. It is better to just discard, discard, discard. Then make projects when the house is clear of things.
In the next few pictures you can see the basement and the green plastic sewing box I "rescued". If you have lived with a hoarder, then you know what the term "rescued" actually means. I am really going to utilize the box, today. That is the key difference between a hoarder and between normalcy. I use items or discard them when they are not actively useful. I have no attachment or anxiety associated with any item. I'm free to hunt and gather, and to discard at will. If I rescue the sewing box, then subsequently no longer need it, it will be donated or held for a near-term yard sale that will actually occur. I do not hold it for "someday" "I" "might" "need" "it".
Basement, see washer and dryer on the other side of the peak:
Clean laundry moldering on the floor:
It was a pretty intense day, lots of traveling, and a certain amount of stress. Now I'm processing that day, and taking care of miscellaneous items for today. An order to the Spice House for powdered tomatoes went to my address in Missouri. That's so odd because they switched the billing for the shipping address, but that's not what the screen print said. The credit card wouldn't have gone through if they used it when I hit the confirm button. So, my much sought after tomato powder is in Missouri, while I'm in Pennsylvania planning a hiking adventure where I wanted to use the powdered tomatoes to make delicious concoctions along the trail. Now I'll have to go to REI and to Whole Foods to see if they have it. Maybe I'll go to Kimberton Whole Foods and see what they have. I don't feel like working much today, anyway.
I took pictures of the house of clutter, or how "the other half lives." I have permission and I'm not invading little bird's privacy. She knows there is a problem and is trying to work on it. Apparently, clutter becomes invisible after a certain number of years. I've documented clutter piles that have not materially changed for the past three years. The basement is an utter disaster, both as a fire hazard and as a health hazard from the mold and dust. At least the stairs are being kept clean for a change. Here are some examples of the living areas and the basement.
This is the dining room:
More of the dining room:
Dining room, continued:
The entry way, better hope you don't have to come in or go out of this doorway:
The living room, which is 2000% better than when I started the project several years ago:
That blue styrofoam container is my fault. I didn't toss it last night when I finished the mushrooms. The difference with me is that I will see it and take care of it when I see it. That is not how the rest of the household clutter is handled. For now we have finished the kitchen, though clutter is starting to build up at the basement door, making it hard to go downstairs to do the laundry. That is a "tolerance" and keeps one from actively doing the laundry, because the laundry becomes a project, not a task. The project is to clear the door several times, replacing the clutter each time, as you start the wash, dry the wash, and get the wash. Inevitably, you never "get the wash" and that becomes clutter on its own. The pile of clean laundry in front of the dryer is a sad testament to waste, because that laundry used energy, water, and detergent to become "clean", but is trodden on the floor of the basement because it is all too much to contemplate. There is too much "project" going on in this house. It is better to just discard, discard, discard. Then make projects when the house is clear of things.
In the next few pictures you can see the basement and the green plastic sewing box I "rescued". If you have lived with a hoarder, then you know what the term "rescued" actually means. I am really going to utilize the box, today. That is the key difference between a hoarder and between normalcy. I use items or discard them when they are not actively useful. I have no attachment or anxiety associated with any item. I'm free to hunt and gather, and to discard at will. If I rescue the sewing box, then subsequently no longer need it, it will be donated or held for a near-term yard sale that will actually occur. I do not hold it for "someday" "I" "might" "need" "it".
Basement, see washer and dryer on the other side of the peak:
Clean laundry moldering on the floor:
Spotting and "rescuing" the sewing box:
Yes! Cleared and snagged! I'll wash it and sanitize it today, before I go to storage to continue my own downsizing and organization project. I'm planning to do some sewing soon, and I want to make sure my sewing items are ready for action.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Earth Mother Has A New Granddaughter!
The main reason for traveling to Pennsylvania has come to fruition. I have a new granddaughter--number three! She is a tiny little bundle of joy, weighing in at 6 pounds. She looks just like my son and me, who all take after my father's side of the family. She has the dark skin and the dark hair, and I suspect this chick will develop green eyes. If she does, this is my "mini me". My son is in for a time of it, raising this little woman.
Reason number two for coming to Pennsylvania is the accident case, which has settled. Nothing more to be said about that until the money is in my hot little hands. Then I will have a lot to say!
Reason number three is the job, which is a bit of a conundrum. According to the higher ups, they need me. According to my "manager" I'm a grunt and should consider leaving this operation soon because the product is getting trashed anyway (not according to everyone else above him). He also told me to pad my invoice with an extra 40 hours, which I refused to do, the result of which he didn't approve the lower amount of the invoice (the correct amount) and I didn't get paid. Which isn't a castastrophe just yet. My intention is to get hired as a full-time employee, rather than as a contractor, to further my plans to remain in the area to help my son with his family while he is in Iraq next year.
To understand the politics of it all, I was called in under desperate measures because the project needed to be saved. The plan has always been to "fire" or otherwise remove my "manager". I was specifically told to blind carbon copy (bcc) the higher ups on every communication. Now I need to decide how much more of this nonsense I will deal with. I've been vocal, but not adamant up to this point. I'm about ready to let loose, but do not want to fall into a trap. So, today I will quietly continue working on specific items that need to be addressed and see where it leads me. I'll put in a hefty invoice next week and then I'll see where things stand. If I don't get paid or involved I'll know it's time to exit. Of course, I'm communicating and working visibly on the hot issues.
Now for the clutter of it all. I'm staying at my old roommate's house and giving her money weekly, with the understanding that this is temporary. But the clutter is going to drive me more insane than I already am! I nearly went out and rented an apartment yesterday, or an efficiency, or a no-tell motel room. I'm so tired of helping my old friend with her clutter, only to see it come back. I'm in the mood to resolve issues so I proposed this: One area per week and if she doesn't go through with it I'm leaving.
Tonight the area is the kitchen and the outside trash area. Hey, you can't drag trash out if you don't have a place to put it! Duh! Then a clear path to the basement just to get to the washer and dryer will be the next area. I might include the bathrooms in the basement to washing machine activity because the "area" is about cleanliness. The next area will encompass the living room, dining room, closets, and entry way on the main floor. These are filled top to bottom with books, sellable items, junk, paperwork, and mess. In fairness, I've put little bird through the paces of ditching paperwork trash in the past, like forty clear trash bags of it, so it wasn't quite as bad this time. We won't even go into the areas like the wet trash filled basement, the damp atticSSS, the stuffed third bedroom, the stuffed closets, and THE BARN. Thank goodness the barn only has a second floor and no basement!
The kitchen is small and is packed with the usual clutterholic items such as: 21 frying pans, 16 spatulas, 95 plates, 295 mismatched silverware, spices & teas that are over 10 years old, moldy foods in the refrigerator, food that is well over 10 years old, gadgets that duplicate function and overflow every surface, and every household item sold on QVC and in the Lillian Vernon catalogue. How many ways are there to implement a cutting board? I found a cutting board that is three feet long and has a hole in it. Oy vey! That's along with the other 8 cutting boards, plus the four brand new ones laying on the floor. At least you can SEE the floor now. We will have a little helper tonight and with the use of six huge plastic bins we will pretend to do "Clean House". I'm playing the part of Niecy Nash, step into my office!
The six bin method includes removing/editing everything in the kitchen and all cupboards that are not used in the kitchen. Duh! There is a lot of that, classified as "to ebay", "to Charlestown Fair" flea market, "to donate", "to yard sale", "to go to another area", and to "store". The agreement is that a single woman only needs 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 glasses, 8 cups, 12 place settings, a range of pots and pans without any duplicates, no more than two of any cooking utensil, and above all CLEAR COUNTERS. There is a nice plastic shelf system beside the fridge to store appliances that are actualy used. The counters are not for storage, they are for food preparation and cooking. Dishes are washed as they are used. Food is used, not stored. Cabinets are used for storage of kitchen items that are rarely used on the bottom, and for highly used items on the top where they can be easily accessed.
Then the fridge. My son and his girlfriend have a clean refrigerator with a few easy to see items that include actual food. Little bird collects condiments. And rotted food that is hard to see and impossible to locate for use. And a complex system for storing ice cubes to keep them from picking up odors. I propose: clean out the fridge, clean the fridge, and sanitize the fridge. Then we can use a real ice maker hooked up to a water filter. So far, I have little bird's agreement. She seems happy about it. There is a large table in the kitchen that is taking up extra space because the legs hit the radiator. I'm taking off the back legs and shoving it as close the fridge and the back wall as possible to get more room. Here is a picture of this as it looked once when it was originally decluttered:
Reason number two for coming to Pennsylvania is the accident case, which has settled. Nothing more to be said about that until the money is in my hot little hands. Then I will have a lot to say!
Reason number three is the job, which is a bit of a conundrum. According to the higher ups, they need me. According to my "manager" I'm a grunt and should consider leaving this operation soon because the product is getting trashed anyway (not according to everyone else above him). He also told me to pad my invoice with an extra 40 hours, which I refused to do, the result of which he didn't approve the lower amount of the invoice (the correct amount) and I didn't get paid. Which isn't a castastrophe just yet. My intention is to get hired as a full-time employee, rather than as a contractor, to further my plans to remain in the area to help my son with his family while he is in Iraq next year.
To understand the politics of it all, I was called in under desperate measures because the project needed to be saved. The plan has always been to "fire" or otherwise remove my "manager". I was specifically told to blind carbon copy (bcc) the higher ups on every communication. Now I need to decide how much more of this nonsense I will deal with. I've been vocal, but not adamant up to this point. I'm about ready to let loose, but do not want to fall into a trap. So, today I will quietly continue working on specific items that need to be addressed and see where it leads me. I'll put in a hefty invoice next week and then I'll see where things stand. If I don't get paid or involved I'll know it's time to exit. Of course, I'm communicating and working visibly on the hot issues.
Now for the clutter of it all. I'm staying at my old roommate's house and giving her money weekly, with the understanding that this is temporary. But the clutter is going to drive me more insane than I already am! I nearly went out and rented an apartment yesterday, or an efficiency, or a no-tell motel room. I'm so tired of helping my old friend with her clutter, only to see it come back. I'm in the mood to resolve issues so I proposed this: One area per week and if she doesn't go through with it I'm leaving.
Tonight the area is the kitchen and the outside trash area. Hey, you can't drag trash out if you don't have a place to put it! Duh! Then a clear path to the basement just to get to the washer and dryer will be the next area. I might include the bathrooms in the basement to washing machine activity because the "area" is about cleanliness. The next area will encompass the living room, dining room, closets, and entry way on the main floor. These are filled top to bottom with books, sellable items, junk, paperwork, and mess. In fairness, I've put little bird through the paces of ditching paperwork trash in the past, like forty clear trash bags of it, so it wasn't quite as bad this time. We won't even go into the areas like the wet trash filled basement, the damp atticSSS, the stuffed third bedroom, the stuffed closets, and THE BARN. Thank goodness the barn only has a second floor and no basement!
The kitchen is small and is packed with the usual clutterholic items such as: 21 frying pans, 16 spatulas, 95 plates, 295 mismatched silverware, spices & teas that are over 10 years old, moldy foods in the refrigerator, food that is well over 10 years old, gadgets that duplicate function and overflow every surface, and every household item sold on QVC and in the Lillian Vernon catalogue. How many ways are there to implement a cutting board? I found a cutting board that is three feet long and has a hole in it. Oy vey! That's along with the other 8 cutting boards, plus the four brand new ones laying on the floor. At least you can SEE the floor now. We will have a little helper tonight and with the use of six huge plastic bins we will pretend to do "Clean House". I'm playing the part of Niecy Nash, step into my office!
The six bin method includes removing/editing everything in the kitchen and all cupboards that are not used in the kitchen. Duh! There is a lot of that, classified as "to ebay", "to Charlestown Fair" flea market, "to donate", "to yard sale", "to go to another area", and to "store". The agreement is that a single woman only needs 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 glasses, 8 cups, 12 place settings, a range of pots and pans without any duplicates, no more than two of any cooking utensil, and above all CLEAR COUNTERS. There is a nice plastic shelf system beside the fridge to store appliances that are actualy used. The counters are not for storage, they are for food preparation and cooking. Dishes are washed as they are used. Food is used, not stored. Cabinets are used for storage of kitchen items that are rarely used on the bottom, and for highly used items on the top where they can be easily accessed.
Then the fridge. My son and his girlfriend have a clean refrigerator with a few easy to see items that include actual food. Little bird collects condiments. And rotted food that is hard to see and impossible to locate for use. And a complex system for storing ice cubes to keep them from picking up odors. I propose: clean out the fridge, clean the fridge, and sanitize the fridge. Then we can use a real ice maker hooked up to a water filter. So far, I have little bird's agreement. She seems happy about it. There is a large table in the kitchen that is taking up extra space because the legs hit the radiator. I'm taking off the back legs and shoving it as close the fridge and the back wall as possible to get more room. Here is a picture of this as it looked once when it was originally decluttered:
I'll find the before pictures and post them soon.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Van Traveling - continued
It is nearly 7 am on Friday morning. I should have left on Wednesday, but the sinus infection really hampered my efforts. I was so tired that every action seemed fruitless. I gave myself the day off Thursday and I'm satisfied that I loaded up enough stuff in the van to make today a bit easier.
I need to do a few hours of work and upload the software for review of a prototype solution to handle photo graphics. Then I'll shower and dress, start up one last load of laundry, and pack up the van. Because I'm not sure when I'll be back, I need to drag the trash out and clean up the place a bit. I'm leaving Marie's cat, Spike, so his litter pan and toilet area needs to be cleaned and changed out.
I believe that at some point I'll be on the road towards Pennsylvania today. I've considered, really considered, obtaining a small trailer to clear the RV and take everything. But I'll hold myself back.
Once I get to Pennsylvania I'm staying with my messy clutterbug friend so I'll unload the van completely into a storage room, then load back only what I need to live with. If I tackle one box a day, I could have all my memorabilia and paperwork consolidated and handled by the end of April. That is huge! That gets me to the point where only personal, kitchen, and jewelry/crafts are left--the moneymakers!
I need to get out of my own way!
I need to do a few hours of work and upload the software for review of a prototype solution to handle photo graphics. Then I'll shower and dress, start up one last load of laundry, and pack up the van. Because I'm not sure when I'll be back, I need to drag the trash out and clean up the place a bit. I'm leaving Marie's cat, Spike, so his litter pan and toilet area needs to be cleaned and changed out.
I believe that at some point I'll be on the road towards Pennsylvania today. I've considered, really considered, obtaining a small trailer to clear the RV and take everything. But I'll hold myself back.
Once I get to Pennsylvania I'm staying with my messy clutterbug friend so I'll unload the van completely into a storage room, then load back only what I need to live with. If I tackle one box a day, I could have all my memorabilia and paperwork consolidated and handled by the end of April. That is huge! That gets me to the point where only personal, kitchen, and jewelry/crafts are left--the moneymakers!
I need to get out of my own way!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Van Traveling
OK, I admit it. This trip to Pennsylvania is about van traveling, not van dwelling. I have so much stuff anyway, I couldn't sleep in there if I wanted to.
Rocky the Van is loaded up so far with both bench seats, all the memoribilia, all the paperwork, most of the office supplies, most of the jewelry, and some miscellaneous items. I have one of the white plastic utility three drawer units in the front bench seat. Next I'm sorting out the clothes in my room so that some is in a bag to carry to and fro, while the rest is in the drawers. Once I empty the other drawers they will go next on the bench seat to be filled. At least they are high enough in the bench seat to keep crap from hitting me when I have to stop quickly. I just ate a quick vegie burger to give me strength.
The other utility drawers are in place, and packed up. Pretty much everything I'm taking is in the van, except for kitchen stuff, the laptop, the monitor/TV, and my bedding. I postponed the trip yesterday because I felt just miserable from the beginnings of a sinus infection. My tail was dragging all day.
Rocky the Van is loaded up so far with both bench seats, all the memoribilia, all the paperwork, most of the office supplies, most of the jewelry, and some miscellaneous items. I have one of the white plastic utility three drawer units in the front bench seat. Next I'm sorting out the clothes in my room so that some is in a bag to carry to and fro, while the rest is in the drawers. Once I empty the other drawers they will go next on the bench seat to be filled. At least they are high enough in the bench seat to keep crap from hitting me when I have to stop quickly. I just ate a quick vegie burger to give me strength.
The other utility drawers are in place, and packed up. Pretty much everything I'm taking is in the van, except for kitchen stuff, the laptop, the monitor/TV, and my bedding. I postponed the trip yesterday because I felt just miserable from the beginnings of a sinus infection. My tail was dragging all day.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Van Dwelling
It hasn't really sunk in yet that van dwelling is more than a set of tasks on my to do list. This time it's just about the van. It doesn't need anything done to it or for it. It just "is". This one isn't about how many generators I can get into it, or when is the vent getting installed, or covering up metal walls. This is a passenger van with two bench seats and carpeting, and is fairly finished inside. The doors are conveniently arranged and the windows are darkly tinted. So even curtains aren't absolutely necessary. I'll check that out later tonight.
I've let my mind go in circles trying to decide what this trip to Pennsylvania means for me. It was mainly about seeing my son and his new baby that is due this week. And secondarily it was about the lawsuit and the trial scheduled for the 31st. The job is out there, too. Though I wouldn't have to be tied to the job. The freedom that is all tied up in that van is something I just can't comprehend the same way I accepted the shackles of restricted living. I can come and go, with or without stuff, really I can.
I've mentally explored endless possibilities in trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and how I will live out there. I still have a lot of stuff and if I wanted to stay in Pennsylvania for a month or more, then I don't want to be thinking I'd like to make some soy milk then remember the soy milk maker is in Missouri. I might want to work on craft projects, but the same condition applies. Where is all the stuff? Then what happens if I lose my stuff? This is a George Carlin schtick if I ever saw one. Stuff, stuff! Everywhere and nowhere is the stuff!
I did shop a little for the new van: big toolbox, large rectangular zipper bag to organize van dwelling stuff, a port-a-potty for those nights or days when I'm too shy to go into a facility, LED lantern, and some camping cookware. I have stuff all over the living room of the RV as I'm trying to organize before loading the van before my trip.
The priorities are work (PC, hardware enclosure, laptop, printer, scanner, camera, software), personal (clothes, shoes, toiletries), paperwork (consolidate even more!), memoribilia (scanning project), camping & hiking gear, garden & sprouting stuff, kitchen gear (if I decide to get a place). Nice-to-have would be all the jewelry supplies and tools, and my dolls and crafts. And then there are the cats, Spike and Kristi Belle Belle. My head is spinning.
Do I go ahead and take out the bench seats then put in the living space, which means storing the bench seats in Missouri? Or, do I leave in the bench seats and take all the above items, leaving the cats and the crafts? I don't really have time for crafts if I'm going to visit my son and the new baby, hike as much as possible, finish consolidating the paperwork, and further consolidate memoribilia in the scanning project. If I'm going to stay in Pennsylvania I don't necessarily want to drive all the way back to Missouri to get the cats and the crafts, but I would have to come back anyway to sell the car. Argh! See why I can't stop the voices in my head?
OK, calming down a bit. I'll take the bench seats, work stuff, kitchen stuff, paperwork, memoribilia, and hiking & camping gear. I'll take my air mattresses in case I want a real bed. I'll leave the Spike and take Kristi Belle Belle. Marie will take Spike if for some reason I can't get back here (I hope, he's her cat!). I'll stuff other things into the van, things I can't easily or cheaply replace. Then I'll rent a storage room in Pennsylvania to hold the stuff while I leisurely go through it. This is really, really ridiculous! I'm really not all about my stuff, but I do have some hobbies and I haven't had a chance to work all this out.
I've let my mind go in circles trying to decide what this trip to Pennsylvania means for me. It was mainly about seeing my son and his new baby that is due this week. And secondarily it was about the lawsuit and the trial scheduled for the 31st. The job is out there, too. Though I wouldn't have to be tied to the job. The freedom that is all tied up in that van is something I just can't comprehend the same way I accepted the shackles of restricted living. I can come and go, with or without stuff, really I can.
I've mentally explored endless possibilities in trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and how I will live out there. I still have a lot of stuff and if I wanted to stay in Pennsylvania for a month or more, then I don't want to be thinking I'd like to make some soy milk then remember the soy milk maker is in Missouri. I might want to work on craft projects, but the same condition applies. Where is all the stuff? Then what happens if I lose my stuff? This is a George Carlin schtick if I ever saw one. Stuff, stuff! Everywhere and nowhere is the stuff!
I did shop a little for the new van: big toolbox, large rectangular zipper bag to organize van dwelling stuff, a port-a-potty for those nights or days when I'm too shy to go into a facility, LED lantern, and some camping cookware. I have stuff all over the living room of the RV as I'm trying to organize before loading the van before my trip.
The priorities are work (PC, hardware enclosure, laptop, printer, scanner, camera, software), personal (clothes, shoes, toiletries), paperwork (consolidate even more!), memoribilia (scanning project), camping & hiking gear, garden & sprouting stuff, kitchen gear (if I decide to get a place). Nice-to-have would be all the jewelry supplies and tools, and my dolls and crafts. And then there are the cats, Spike and Kristi Belle Belle. My head is spinning.
Do I go ahead and take out the bench seats then put in the living space, which means storing the bench seats in Missouri? Or, do I leave in the bench seats and take all the above items, leaving the cats and the crafts? I don't really have time for crafts if I'm going to visit my son and the new baby, hike as much as possible, finish consolidating the paperwork, and further consolidate memoribilia in the scanning project. If I'm going to stay in Pennsylvania I don't necessarily want to drive all the way back to Missouri to get the cats and the crafts, but I would have to come back anyway to sell the car. Argh! See why I can't stop the voices in my head?
OK, calming down a bit. I'll take the bench seats, work stuff, kitchen stuff, paperwork, memoribilia, and hiking & camping gear. I'll take my air mattresses in case I want a real bed. I'll leave the Spike and take Kristi Belle Belle. Marie will take Spike if for some reason I can't get back here (I hope, he's her cat!). I'll stuff other things into the van, things I can't easily or cheaply replace. Then I'll rent a storage room in Pennsylvania to hold the stuff while I leisurely go through it. This is really, really ridiculous! I'm really not all about my stuff, but I do have some hobbies and I haven't had a chance to work all this out.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Speaking of Clutter
Oy vey! Speaking of clutter here, I have to seriously handle my business because it is time to head out to Pennsylvania to work and to see my newest grandchild who is on the way. I have paperwork to do and send out, plus I need to decide what to take.
I acquired a 2000 Dodge Ram van extended body for $4900 today. Tomorrow I pick it up, get it registered in Missouri, then mail out paperwork, then get the car inspected so that it can be registered in Missouri so I can sell it. But I probably won't have the title back in time to sell it before my trip to Pennsylvania.
This weekend I need to prep the van with my sleeping arrangements and storage needs in order to travel and visit folks without having to unpack. Ideally I can sleep in the van during comfortable weather and just bring in a toiletry bag and my laptop when I need to shower or work. I'm liking this idea.
Today it is 5:00 pm and I'm home from running, waiting for Brock's girlfriend to stop by and get both her taxes done plus get a lecture on household management. Then I need to finish up my own work, and fit in some time with doing my paperwork and taxes and copies and preparation to mail things. Hopefully I'll get enough time in to enjoy myself and make some jewelry.
I acquired a 2000 Dodge Ram van extended body for $4900 today. Tomorrow I pick it up, get it registered in Missouri, then mail out paperwork, then get the car inspected so that it can be registered in Missouri so I can sell it. But I probably won't have the title back in time to sell it before my trip to Pennsylvania.
This weekend I need to prep the van with my sleeping arrangements and storage needs in order to travel and visit folks without having to unpack. Ideally I can sleep in the van during comfortable weather and just bring in a toiletry bag and my laptop when I need to shower or work. I'm liking this idea.
Today it is 5:00 pm and I'm home from running, waiting for Brock's girlfriend to stop by and get both her taxes done plus get a lecture on household management. Then I need to finish up my own work, and fit in some time with doing my paperwork and taxes and copies and preparation to mail things. Hopefully I'll get enough time in to enjoy myself and make some jewelry.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Less is More
Do you live surrounded by clutter yet spend your precious mental energy buying more stuff? Do you have more books & movies than you could watch in a lifetime? Are you providing for the care and feeding of paper that appears to be successfully reproducing itself when the lights go out? Do you want to live in simplicity and peace? You can turn this around for yourself without cleaning it, organizing it, or throwing it all out.
Because you are a perfectionist and you are waiting for the magical day when it will all be squared away, you are too tired, too drained, too confused, and too defeated to try cleaning it up even one more time. I understand because I have been there too.
If you use my system you will become more organized every day by becoming more functional. Functional means knowing where your keys and cell phone are, being able to put your hands on your bills and on paper, pens, envelopes, and stamps when you need them. Because you are going to enjoy that feeling so much that you will want more of it!
You need to have one shelf or surface near your front door where you will keep four boxes the size of shoe boxes. Box #1 is for keys, wallet, cell phone. Box #2 is for envelopes, stamps, pens, scissors, and tape. Box #3 is for bills and important papers. Box #4 is for returns, like movies, books, and stuff that is going out of your house. Keep a trash can right outside your front door and use it often! When you get the mail, toss everything except your bills, your checks, and your important correspondence before it comes into the house.
When you generate trash each day, take it to the trash can in front of your house. Take all the unused trash cans in the house and place them outside. You must follow this rule: bring NOTHING into the house until every trash can is filled and taken by the sanitation service, then you can bring one THING in. Otherwise, try to live on what you have cluttering up your house.
Need money? Sell stuff on Craigslist. Hungry, swim through the debris in the kitchen and sweep everything off the counters with your arms. Take food out of the fridge until you find something that doen't have mold, taking the bad stuff to the trash can outside your front door. While the food is cooking or heating up, wash just the dishes you need to eat with at this meal, plus wash dishes for the next meal. Eat. Take the trash from this meal out to the trash can in front of your house. Then wash all the dishes in the kitchen and put them away.
Tip #1: Your kitchen should contain ONLY two glasses, two plates, two bowls, two spoons, and two forks for each person in your household. Pick your favorites and put them in the cabinets and take all the extras to a thrift store ASAP. Do NOT buy anything at the thrift store.
By the time you have eaten and washed your dishes, you need to think about tomorrow. Find ONLY the clothes that you plan to wear tomorrow, then wash them and fold them and put them away. Sweep the rest of the clothes, shoes, and accessorie into a pile. Make a big pile in the corner. The goal is to have a bed you can lay out on full length to get a good nights sleep because you deserve it!. You and your family also deserve to have clean clothes for tomorrow, and only for tomorrow.
Tip #2: When you watch tv make it a habit to get up during every commercial and take seven articles of trash to the trash can outside of your front door. Make a game out of it! Anything goes, including old newspapers, magazines, magazine clippings, empty food containers, dog poop, dust bunnies, and even old shoes.
If you want a snack, first go into your bathroom and clean one of the following: sink, toilet, tub, floor, mirror, counter, cabinet. Then wade into the kitchen and get one item to eat, taking all your trash to the trash can outside the front door.
Tip #3: Don't buy another item to eat until your refrigerator is completely empty. Then wash the refrigerator and make a menu for the next week, trying to make use of the items overflowing from the cupboards. Be creative! You may be able to save hundreds of dollars in food costs by eating what you have and trip over, rather than buying things you don't have room to store.
Before you go to bed for the night, make sure your cell phone, keys, and wallet/purse are in the box by the door. Make sure your freshly laundered clothes are put away. This is the highest priority every day.
Tip #4: Get big cardboard boxes at work. Bring them home and immediately fill them with clutter from your entry way. Grab things like toiletries out of the pile if you see them and take those things to the bathroom--toss them on the floor with everything else. If you see clothes, take them to the huge pile in your room--that goes for shoes and accessories. If you find bills, stamps, pens, tape, scissors or stamps then put them in the box by the front door. If you feel like taking any trash that you see out to the trash can by your front door, then that's fine. Fill that cardboard box up, close it after rescuing any returns (which go in the box by the front door). Keep bringing home boxes, and box up the clutter stacking the boxes up to the ceiling. Don't organize anything! Do NOT under any circumstance label anything. Leave important things on the floor where you might find them again. If you simply MUST, then put important paperwork in the special box by the door, and put the miscellaneous paperwork in one box near the front door. If you have to find something that is where it could probably be.
In the morning, you should shower and dress as soon as you get up. Then stand and supervise your children dressing in their clean clothes. If your kids are small, you can clean the sink or the floor or the toilet while they bathe. When everyone is dressed then assemble everyone in the kitchen where you will prepare/find food, wash dishes for the next meal, and get everyone to take some trash to the trash can outside your door. Don't do too much today. Get the kids to school and take a box of extra kitchen stuff to the thrift store, then go to work. Work like a dog and try to get as much stuff done as possible. Be sure and file everything away and clean your desk off before heading home.
As soon as you get home assemble everybody in the kitchen/dining room, clear a table (just shove the crap onto the floor), do homework with the kids while you prepare a meal and clean the fridge out. Every day you should:
If it's open, close it.
If it's on the floor pick it up.
If it's in the fridge eat it first, then the stuff in the freezer, then the stuff in the cabinets.
If you have two of the same thing, give one away.
If you need it, do without or dig it out of the mess.
If you wear it, put it in the: hamper, washer, closet, drawer, give-away pile.
If you want to keep it, then take care of it.
If its in a pile, it was never that important.
People are more important than things.
Smile and remember that Less is more!
Because you are a perfectionist and you are waiting for the magical day when it will all be squared away, you are too tired, too drained, too confused, and too defeated to try cleaning it up even one more time. I understand because I have been there too.
If you use my system you will become more organized every day by becoming more functional. Functional means knowing where your keys and cell phone are, being able to put your hands on your bills and on paper, pens, envelopes, and stamps when you need them. Because you are going to enjoy that feeling so much that you will want more of it!
You need to have one shelf or surface near your front door where you will keep four boxes the size of shoe boxes. Box #1 is for keys, wallet, cell phone. Box #2 is for envelopes, stamps, pens, scissors, and tape. Box #3 is for bills and important papers. Box #4 is for returns, like movies, books, and stuff that is going out of your house. Keep a trash can right outside your front door and use it often! When you get the mail, toss everything except your bills, your checks, and your important correspondence before it comes into the house.
When you generate trash each day, take it to the trash can in front of your house. Take all the unused trash cans in the house and place them outside. You must follow this rule: bring NOTHING into the house until every trash can is filled and taken by the sanitation service, then you can bring one THING in. Otherwise, try to live on what you have cluttering up your house.
Need money? Sell stuff on Craigslist. Hungry, swim through the debris in the kitchen and sweep everything off the counters with your arms. Take food out of the fridge until you find something that doen't have mold, taking the bad stuff to the trash can outside your front door. While the food is cooking or heating up, wash just the dishes you need to eat with at this meal, plus wash dishes for the next meal. Eat. Take the trash from this meal out to the trash can in front of your house. Then wash all the dishes in the kitchen and put them away.
Tip #1: Your kitchen should contain ONLY two glasses, two plates, two bowls, two spoons, and two forks for each person in your household. Pick your favorites and put them in the cabinets and take all the extras to a thrift store ASAP. Do NOT buy anything at the thrift store.
By the time you have eaten and washed your dishes, you need to think about tomorrow. Find ONLY the clothes that you plan to wear tomorrow, then wash them and fold them and put them away. Sweep the rest of the clothes, shoes, and accessorie into a pile. Make a big pile in the corner. The goal is to have a bed you can lay out on full length to get a good nights sleep because you deserve it!. You and your family also deserve to have clean clothes for tomorrow, and only for tomorrow.
Tip #2: When you watch tv make it a habit to get up during every commercial and take seven articles of trash to the trash can outside of your front door. Make a game out of it! Anything goes, including old newspapers, magazines, magazine clippings, empty food containers, dog poop, dust bunnies, and even old shoes.
If you want a snack, first go into your bathroom and clean one of the following: sink, toilet, tub, floor, mirror, counter, cabinet. Then wade into the kitchen and get one item to eat, taking all your trash to the trash can outside the front door.
Tip #3: Don't buy another item to eat until your refrigerator is completely empty. Then wash the refrigerator and make a menu for the next week, trying to make use of the items overflowing from the cupboards. Be creative! You may be able to save hundreds of dollars in food costs by eating what you have and trip over, rather than buying things you don't have room to store.
Before you go to bed for the night, make sure your cell phone, keys, and wallet/purse are in the box by the door. Make sure your freshly laundered clothes are put away. This is the highest priority every day.
Tip #4: Get big cardboard boxes at work. Bring them home and immediately fill them with clutter from your entry way. Grab things like toiletries out of the pile if you see them and take those things to the bathroom--toss them on the floor with everything else. If you see clothes, take them to the huge pile in your room--that goes for shoes and accessories. If you find bills, stamps, pens, tape, scissors or stamps then put them in the box by the front door. If you feel like taking any trash that you see out to the trash can by your front door, then that's fine. Fill that cardboard box up, close it after rescuing any returns (which go in the box by the front door). Keep bringing home boxes, and box up the clutter stacking the boxes up to the ceiling. Don't organize anything! Do NOT under any circumstance label anything. Leave important things on the floor where you might find them again. If you simply MUST, then put important paperwork in the special box by the door, and put the miscellaneous paperwork in one box near the front door. If you have to find something that is where it could probably be.
In the morning, you should shower and dress as soon as you get up. Then stand and supervise your children dressing in their clean clothes. If your kids are small, you can clean the sink or the floor or the toilet while they bathe. When everyone is dressed then assemble everyone in the kitchen where you will prepare/find food, wash dishes for the next meal, and get everyone to take some trash to the trash can outside your door. Don't do too much today. Get the kids to school and take a box of extra kitchen stuff to the thrift store, then go to work. Work like a dog and try to get as much stuff done as possible. Be sure and file everything away and clean your desk off before heading home.
As soon as you get home assemble everybody in the kitchen/dining room, clear a table (just shove the crap onto the floor), do homework with the kids while you prepare a meal and clean the fridge out. Every day you should:
If it's open, close it.
If it's on the floor pick it up.
If it's in the fridge eat it first, then the stuff in the freezer, then the stuff in the cabinets.
If you have two of the same thing, give one away.
If you need it, do without or dig it out of the mess.
If you wear it, put it in the: hamper, washer, closet, drawer, give-away pile.
If you want to keep it, then take care of it.
If its in a pile, it was never that important.
People are more important than things.
Smile and remember that Less is more!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Clear Your Clutter
After a few days of the diligent shifting of bags and boxes, the UHaul full of clutter is now decreased in volume by 50%. Clutter is a visual symptom of postponed decisions. That's why half of my clutter consists of 20 years of paperwork. Things like my kids schoolwork, cards and letters, pictures, and everything else. Calendars, scraps of notes, and other detritus of a life misspent on the little things. One of the tasks today is to obtain a good photo and negative scanner to put the most memorable keepsakes into an electronic form. Then I'll mail each of my son's stuff to them to keep if they wish. I no longer need to be the keeper of the clutter.
The other half of the clutter consists of several bins of craft supplies for things I want to do and can make me money, a huge collection of sellable fashion doll accessories, loads of jewelry making supplies, and boxes in which to sell said jewelry. Then there are a few boxes of personal items and clothing. There's a bag of holiday decorations, and a few boxes of books. The books are sellable. Before I can tackle the clutter I have to finish part of my current software project, Then I have to sort, file, and purge the paperwork in order to make the tax people happy. Then I can seriously clean up the rest of the stuff.
I think that the threads of my life will converge at a point that meets sometime in April, May, or June. Yeah, try and plan around THAT! The lawsuit, the taxes, the clutter, and the job. You see, all I want to do is live and work out of a camper van, with a jewelry making business in progress to supplement my income. But I can't realistically do that without finishing the lawsuit, the taxes, and the clutter. Catch 22 all the way around. I suppose I can once again mortgage my life to a job in order to get a few years closer to my preferred lifestyle. This sucks!
Jest in time to take my mind off my troubles, here comes Brock, home from prison! Yeah! His mom drove to Farmington to pick him up. She'll call me when she is on the way back with him, which will give me two hours to finish my chores and run some errands on the way to say hi to him. After that I'm back to the RV to work on my software project. Brock will be going to visit his girlfriend at her Section 8 apartment, where she has her three children and his four children. Yes, you can laugh out loud. His mom and I always get a good chuckle out of it when we think about it.
So I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to be available for loans, babysitting, or anything else. He is expecting a good sized tax refund of which $2500 is due to me for the bail money. Then his mother will borrow $1000 of that to buy a $2000 trailer far enough away that he can't disturb her peace either. In the meantime we will be roommates again. I have my next six days set aside for 3 days of work and 3 days of paperwork, taxes, correspondence, bills, more downsizing, organizing, and cleaning. I'd love to sell more crap on Ebay but may have to hold that thought for a few more months. I'm simply too busy to Ebay these days.
The other half of the clutter consists of several bins of craft supplies for things I want to do and can make me money, a huge collection of sellable fashion doll accessories, loads of jewelry making supplies, and boxes in which to sell said jewelry. Then there are a few boxes of personal items and clothing. There's a bag of holiday decorations, and a few boxes of books. The books are sellable. Before I can tackle the clutter I have to finish part of my current software project, Then I have to sort, file, and purge the paperwork in order to make the tax people happy. Then I can seriously clean up the rest of the stuff.
I think that the threads of my life will converge at a point that meets sometime in April, May, or June. Yeah, try and plan around THAT! The lawsuit, the taxes, the clutter, and the job. You see, all I want to do is live and work out of a camper van, with a jewelry making business in progress to supplement my income. But I can't realistically do that without finishing the lawsuit, the taxes, and the clutter. Catch 22 all the way around. I suppose I can once again mortgage my life to a job in order to get a few years closer to my preferred lifestyle. This sucks!
Jest in time to take my mind off my troubles, here comes Brock, home from prison! Yeah! His mom drove to Farmington to pick him up. She'll call me when she is on the way back with him, which will give me two hours to finish my chores and run some errands on the way to say hi to him. After that I'm back to the RV to work on my software project. Brock will be going to visit his girlfriend at her Section 8 apartment, where she has her three children and his four children. Yes, you can laugh out loud. His mom and I always get a good chuckle out of it when we think about it.
So I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to be available for loans, babysitting, or anything else. He is expecting a good sized tax refund of which $2500 is due to me for the bail money. Then his mother will borrow $1000 of that to buy a $2000 trailer far enough away that he can't disturb her peace either. In the meantime we will be roommates again. I have my next six days set aside for 3 days of work and 3 days of paperwork, taxes, correspondence, bills, more downsizing, organizing, and cleaning. I'd love to sell more crap on Ebay but may have to hold that thought for a few more months. I'm simply too busy to Ebay these days.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Emptying
No matter how much I try to empty my life it seems I'm determined to fill it up in spite of myself. Emptying the stuff, the to do list, the chores, the pets, the junk of life. Trying to find the peace that doesn't include everything we perceive as necessary. Curiousity continues to drive this need to find out what is absolutely needed to sustain me.
Long ago I learned that a house in the suburbs and an Expedition in the driveway wouldn't sustain me. So I traveled the highway to another place with as little as possible. It sustained me for six months. Then a driving need to see my son for Christmas and grab the rest of my junk out of storage compelled me to travel 2000 miles from here to there. Once I went through that process I ended up looking at a Uhaul full of crap.
Sheesh!
Long ago I learned that a house in the suburbs and an Expedition in the driveway wouldn't sustain me. So I traveled the highway to another place with as little as possible. It sustained me for six months. Then a driving need to see my son for Christmas and grab the rest of my junk out of storage compelled me to travel 2000 miles from here to there. Once I went through that process I ended up looking at a Uhaul full of crap.
Sheesh!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Home Stretch
Yeah, it's been awhile. With nothing earth shattering to mention on the lawsuit, the job, the van, or anything else, it's been a time of maintaining direction and handling old business. I'm still working as an hourly contractor on a contract, trying to get on my feet for the home stretch of the accident case. After a trip back home to Pennsylvania, all my stuff is stored in the RV for sorting and purging. A lifetime's accumulation of paperwork is waiting for a final cleansing before I file old tax forms and clean up that bit of the disaster of my life.
Yeah, about three days after I returned home with the papwerwork and junk there was a knock on the door from the infernal revenue service. Something about the form that kicks out when you lose your house to foreclosure. They are looking for the lost years' forms and possibly some money, but it will be up to me to show that I didn't make a dime on that deal, or many others. I didn't even claim a "home office". I'll probably need legal advice on this one. In any case, homeless people do have a low rate of tax compliance--duh!
The van is set and I'm currently processing things so that I can be mobile and gone by the end of February if necessary. The lawsuit is coming up on the pre-trial conference date, so I have that emotional roller coaster to look forward to. And, I have three of the boys whose father is in prison--all in a tiny "RV" with no room. My nerves are truly shot at this point. In about two weeks I should know how the lawsuit will play out. How does one survive chaos and uncontrollable change? I think you do it by putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. That's all we can do.
Yeah, about three days after I returned home with the papwerwork and junk there was a knock on the door from the infernal revenue service. Something about the form that kicks out when you lose your house to foreclosure. They are looking for the lost years' forms and possibly some money, but it will be up to me to show that I didn't make a dime on that deal, or many others. I didn't even claim a "home office". I'll probably need legal advice on this one. In any case, homeless people do have a low rate of tax compliance--duh!
The van is set and I'm currently processing things so that I can be mobile and gone by the end of February if necessary. The lawsuit is coming up on the pre-trial conference date, so I have that emotional roller coaster to look forward to. And, I have three of the boys whose father is in prison--all in a tiny "RV" with no room. My nerves are truly shot at this point. In about two weeks I should know how the lawsuit will play out. How does one survive chaos and uncontrollable change? I think you do it by putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. That's all we can do.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Deposition Day
Most of this week was spent anguishing over the myriad potential outcomes of Lissa & Sam's deposition regarding my accident case. That occurred yesterday. In the morning I wasn't accomplishing much so I wrapped the three Ebay items that sold and dropped them off at the Post Office. Then I got some money off the PayPal debit card and went to my favorite trivia spot to play. I stayed quite awhile, chatted with friends, but was really distracted which showed in my game. I broke down and ate the broccoli bites, which is about all I had all day. I'm going to stay in today and get ready to move some stuff back to my son's house. I'm waiting to hear about the potential contract job, then waiting for the outcome of my son's deposition next Friday. At that point I will either be moving in with him again and taking over the apartment if I get the job, or I will pack up and move to Missouri for a while. In either case, I'm not going to stay in my current roommate situation because frankly it's a mess.
Lissa did call late last night and I got a pretty good picture of how the deposition went, and I think it was good. Though I have not heard from my attorney as yet. I'm sure he is busy after flying out to Atlanta and back yesterday. But it would be really nice to have a word with him. Waiting, waiting, today is all about waiting. I'll break down and talk to Lisa shortly, before I talk to the attorney probably. After I do my morning chores.
It is hard to do the morning chores in this house. I've gone from the frying pan into the fire. First living with Little Bird and her ten foot high piles of junk to living with Crazy Girl and her collection of boxes that are on and around every available surface. When she asked me to move in with her and help with expenses I told her specifically that keeping the common living areas neat was a must. And that if she didn't unpack and stash the crap soon I would have to move out. Also, if she continued to have dealings with her abusive husband I'd have to move out. That was the agreement. You see, I get paid regularly and I'm responsible. I won't live under the threat of eviction or abuse. So I'm out of here, it is just a matter of when. I also warned her that I will not tell her or have any type of confrontation. I will just go.
Today I will finish up the tomato salad, walnuts, the two apples, one banana, and a bunch of carrots and radishes. That will be a fine meal for the day. When I take the paperwork over to my son's apartment I'll stop and get some fruit and a few veggies for the next few days, oh, and some lottery tickets. LOL
Lissa did call late last night and I got a pretty good picture of how the deposition went, and I think it was good. Though I have not heard from my attorney as yet. I'm sure he is busy after flying out to Atlanta and back yesterday. But it would be really nice to have a word with him. Waiting, waiting, today is all about waiting. I'll break down and talk to Lisa shortly, before I talk to the attorney probably. After I do my morning chores.
It is hard to do the morning chores in this house. I've gone from the frying pan into the fire. First living with Little Bird and her ten foot high piles of junk to living with Crazy Girl and her collection of boxes that are on and around every available surface. When she asked me to move in with her and help with expenses I told her specifically that keeping the common living areas neat was a must. And that if she didn't unpack and stash the crap soon I would have to move out. Also, if she continued to have dealings with her abusive husband I'd have to move out. That was the agreement. You see, I get paid regularly and I'm responsible. I won't live under the threat of eviction or abuse. So I'm out of here, it is just a matter of when. I also warned her that I will not tell her or have any type of confrontation. I will just go.
Today I will finish up the tomato salad, walnuts, the two apples, one banana, and a bunch of carrots and radishes. That will be a fine meal for the day. When I take the paperwork over to my son's apartment I'll stop and get some fruit and a few veggies for the next few days, oh, and some lottery tickets. LOL
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