Years ago, everyone did spring cleaning. They washed windows, shook carpets outside and cleaned every room from top to bottom until the house sparkled. I remember Martha Stewart writing about the annual rituals her mother would undertake and like everything Martha Stewart, it was complicated, time-consuming and probably unnecessary. It’s not like a bit of dust will kill you, unless you have really bad allergies and have to keep the dust mites at a minimum. The theory now is that living in a spotless germ-free house is not good for building children’s immune systems. It seems a little dirt is good for you, a germ-laden pet, preferably a dog, even better. So, while I put all the winter plaid stuff away and bring out lighter brighter decor, when spring arrives I don’t want to be stuck indoors when there is such delightful weather to be enjoyed outside…..spring is not here yet, but coming soon.
I tend to tackle any major cleaning projects in January when it’s cold and snowy, but I do like my house to be tidy and the clutter under control. The new Netflix show by Marie Kondo, the diminutive author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up fame, has been getting a lot of attention lately.
If you’re a fan of the show, you might enjoy my post from last January – Decluttering 101 – Out With The Old, where I profile her book and my efforts to apply it.
One caveat, at the time I wrote the blog, I did not understand the role of Japanese spirituality in her method. While this belief that inanimate objects have feelings and need to be thanked, may seem bizarre to us western folk, reading a recent op-ed piece on the subject helped put parts of the book into context. Which just goes to show, how judgments can be skewed by ignorance, as the book was initially intended for Japanese readers who would of course be familiar with those ideas. As for all those people who made fun of her methods (and I read some truly cruel reviews on Goodreads last year), well she’s now sold 11 million copies, has a new hit show, and is probably laughing all the way to the bank.
Link to January 2018 Blog: Decluttering 101 – Out With the Old
My mother is painting spring…..
Spring Flowers
thehomeplaceweb 
Love mom’s spring paintings!
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Thanks Kim!
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As one who heats with a wood stove, the ritual of spring cleaning takes on new importance. Though the house looks clean all winter, ash dust lurks. So I stick with the rigors of old-fashioned spring cleaning–vacuum and wash most everything in sight. But I don’t start until after the last fires of winter.
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I have no experience with wood stoves, but it sounds like a good idea! I love to have my house cleaned top to bottom but I’m lazy so I hire Molly Maid every 6 months….they send 3 people so it’s quick too.
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I still do spring cleaning — and fall cleaning, too. However, even with some household help, I tend to accomplish the job in a far more relaxed manner with monthly “spring cleaning” each room, by turn, throughout the year. Nonetheless, I look forward to a mild enough day with bright sunshine when I can open up all the windows and allow fresh air to sweep through. Marvelous feeling by nightfall!! After all, houses become stale during the winters just as bread does.
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I’m lazy so I hire Molly Maid every 6 months for a thorough cleaning. But yes, I am looking forward to opening the windows and letting the fresh air in! And being able to hand my sheets on the line again!
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This woman is amazing Joan – I watched the video and I would fail so miserably that she would put a dunce cap on my head, that is for sure. I have said to you before that I wonder how two people and a bird (with a whole cupboard for all his things) lived here. After my father was gone, my mother would remark “where did we have your father’s things” … it is stuff, stuff and more stuff, but like you, what bothers me the most are the clothes, like your little black cocktail dress with the bow in the back, that will never see the light of day. And I can say all I want that I can wear them down the line and I will never want for clothes, but that doesn’t fly – I am older and can’t be wearing some of these styles, most of my work clothes are not practical for every day – heck, even my casual clothes are no longer practical for every day. I look at my wardrobes and accessories and am despondent about them. Your mom’s painting is pretty – it is how Spring, which arrives in less than two weeks should present itself.
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Yes, it’s sad to realize we no longer live that lifestyle and the clothes are out-of-date. I do need to clean out my summer/spring closet out again. I drafted 5 or 6 blog posts over the past week when the weather was so cold, so I’m ahead of the game, but I’m so far behind in other stuff that I need to get out of the house and start doing it! Except this weekend when it rains I have to sit down and organize the tax stuff for both of us. Hopefully I can start walking again next week. PS. I took a quick look through our small mall yesterday after an appointment, and the spring clothes were so ugly no one would want them. At least you have better malls to shop at if you needed something.
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I do feel badly … I’ve said before that I feel badly that I never went back to work after my mom passed away, but I expected when things picked up at work, I would be hired back full time again. I had been through a lot with my mom over the last year, and I decided to just lie low a while. When we got busy again, it was just part-time. I am mixed on the whole thing – had I gone back full time I likely would have resumed traveling, but I would never have started a walking regimen. Walking in the middle of the day is not really the same – really it’s only nice in Spring or Fall to walk outside on your lunch hour. And I would have never started the blog either. I have actually not bought any clothes except some new sweatsuits over the last few years and that is it. I bought some fisherman’s vests to use in the Summer to store photography stuff in but they mis-sized them and I figured I’d use them anyway, but they were too big and the one zipper broke which made me mad. I am like you and don’t like any of the styles anymore. I took my knit hats that I had for decades to the cleaners … they were these knitted berets that I could put my long hair underneath it and it didn’t get “smooshed” up. So I had several of them for different coats. But they had to be drycleaned as they all had an inner wool liner in them. I got them back and they are stretched out horribly and I am no hand-sewer. When I made my own clothes back when you couldn’t buy clothes in tall sizes (1970s), my mom finished off everything for me, even set in sleeves. I ended up buying some mens’ hats which I don’t particularly care for and am angry every time I go into the cedar closet and see them there. I took them back to the cleaners and the woman said “well that is why we ask you to sign a waiver in case something happens” … seems incompetent to me. The styles today look like you slept in your clothes and I see a lot of women with the peek-a-boo sleeves … I don’t “get” that style, but maybe it is me. And at the grocery store, women wearing long skirts which drag on the floor when they walked (much like he elephant bell bottoms we used to wear back in the day, though I don’t think I was allowed to wear that style – my parents were very strict).
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We are so similar – my mom finished off my sewing too in the 70’s. I would pick out the material and the pattern and pin and cut it out – which was the only part I enjoyed. Then I would give up when the going got rough and the bobbin wouldn’t work on the stupid machine, and she would finish it off. She used to make our (ugly) navy blue school uniforms too, later we could buy them. I don’t get those cut out sleeves either – it seems so silly, but I guess we must have worn weird things too. I remember maxi dresses the first time around, as our 19yr old teacher in grade 8 had a maxi coat we thought the height of coolness, but it’s certainly not a look which can be comfortable, dragging on the floor like that. I think when you get older, part-time work is better than full time. I liked the switch from full time to part time in 2015, but then I couldn’t get any hours again. I’m also glad I have more time to spend with my mother, who will be 93 next week, which is one of the reasons I didn’t look for anything else. You can pick up your traveling when you retire! The only thing I have bought the past six months is a new light blue winter wool wrap coat which I love and got for 55% off – a bargain at $95, and two pairs of black yoga pants on sale. When I think of what I used to spend on clothes…
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It never ceases to amaze me our similarities. I didn’t have a lot of patience with the sewing either and I can picture my face when the bobbin got wound wrong and thread instead got wound somewhere else inside the machine. I was sewing my clothing as they didn’t have tall clothes and everything was short in the pants or in the sleeves. My mother would joke that I would likely go to school and tell everyone I made my clothes when she did it (… then she’d rattle off all the parts she worked on) … she had a point. I think I have a picture of a ruffled dress I made.
It was back in the mini dress days. I had a ruffle around the bottom and a set-in white placket in the front and around the neck. It was probably my most complicated outfit made but my mom basted in everything so all I did was sew the seams. My mom knit a lot and made me vests and sweaters, glove/scarf/mitts sets. She tried to teach me how to knit and I dropped stitches all the time. I didn’t have the patience and I would hand it over to my mom to fix it and she finally got tired of doing that. I started knitting because in those days we did not have a VCR and I wanted to stay up late to watch TV and would fall asleep on the commercials, so I wanted something to keep busy with so I would not shut my eyes. I took up Pretty Punch instead. Now if you did Pretty Punch crewel embroidery I will really know we were separated at birth!! It is nice that you are not working to spend time with your mom – there are such limited days you get off of work and then, if you are not traveling and staying home instead, you have to hope the weather is cooperative.
Many times I would have a long weekend scheduled and it would pour raining (like it is now – we have torrential rain and gusty winds out there right now).
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LOL re the mini-dress! My most complicated minidress was a black print which had smocking all over the top part – my mother did the smocking, but smocking is difficult to do so it turned out uneven and I never wore it! When I think of the work she put into it now I feel bad. My mom didn’t knit or anything, but my gramma tired to teach me to crochet once, and it was hopeless, so no, embroidery her! Rain and horrible winds here too – I guess I’ll be sleeping downstairs on the couch again….I just hope it doesn’t affect the hydro like last time.
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We are two of a kind – I can’t say I wore that purple dress that much either after all the work put into it. I did the Pretty Punch for a while – it looked like hooking a rug a little, you pushed a needle in/out of a cloth where you had a design. It would take me months to finish one design, then you had to put a fixative on the back to make the material get hard, then you had to put something else on with adhesive to iron it on a sweatshirt. I have a Hershey’s Kiss that I did myself – just different sizes of Hershey Kisses and did them in lurex threat and used to wear it the last day before Christmas and I also made a Mickey Mouse which I’ve never worn as I didn’t want to get it dirty … now that is something I have done my whole life – didn’t wear my clothes as much as I should have because I wanted to “save” them. It comes back to haunt me as I’m not sure I’ll ever wear it now. Well, we didn’t both embroider, but there will be other things I am sure. Your grandmother was as frustrated teaching you to crochet as my mom was trying to teach me to knit I’m sure. Our wind has subsided and I think it stopped raining – hope you did not lose your hydro. When the furnace was off and it went down two degrees, I realized how bad it would be , like you, with no heat at all. I worried two weeks ago as it was bitter cold – I have no where to go so it is a little daunting. The whole-house generators are horribly expensive even for my little house and it is a little house, and I have no clue how to use the portable ones.
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Hydro was good today…..still windy but not quite as much. Most of the snow has melted, so spring may be on the way!
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Yes our winds only gusted to 40 mph and they still sounded quite bad but not like two weeks ago when peak gusts were 55 mph. We have 64 degrees (17 C) on Thursday but we have some stormy days and some more gusty winds. But it will be Spring like finally.
We have just a day of that then cold again … did you walk today? It was clear and sunny today. Went to the Park but still glare ice on the trail.
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No I didn’t walk Sunday or today. I was still sorting financial papers, god I hate that job, and today I had to take mom to an appointment. It was nice and sunny though. Tomorrow I have a hair appointment, so that will be my excuse then….and so it goes!
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I know that is how it goes for errand days. In the nicer weather, when it goes back to being lighter in the morning again, that is when I will do any errands to lump them together and then go one morning in the week. I hate to spend a weekend day shopping or doing errands if I can help it. And I don’t like to go at night … I won’t go out in the dark and I used to do a few things at night if I could get away by 5:30 or so, but with blogging it changed things as I get far behind and it takes awhile to catch up again.
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I still have your comment on music to reply to … I put the link into a Word document and except for last night, I went to a different computer, my old one in my room. I’ve been thinking about the ergonomics you mentioned … in that vein, I got two different sized keyboards and a riser and two mice which came today that I ordered from Amazon. I got one for each and I suspect there will be a learning curve. They are vertical mice and you use them sideways – from all the info I’ve read this week on carpal tunnel syndrome, it can cause frozen shoulder or other shoulder impingement. I am going to try something different in my room and at the kitchen table … we are getting new computers at work (will go to Windows 10 and a new accounting system) … so will have enough to deal with, so want to try this now, this weekend. The article suggests that there might be a correlation.
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It sounds promising…..worth trying anyway. You can experiment and see what feels most comfortable. I use a trackpad myself, but my computer is a laptop.
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I have never tried the trackpad on the laptop. In the beginning I was hitting it all the time and the cursor was going wild, so I turned it off. If I was able to type on there just for myself, like for a blog post, I could maybe get used to it, but I do sooooo many revisions for my boss, and I am used to using a mouse. I am on my old laptop and when I came here around 2:00 p.m. today I had a lot of pics, I uploaded them, cropped them, uploaded them to WordPress and started the blog post. I took a break to eat dinner and came back here and poasted it about 8:30. So I’ve been at this laptop all day and it is a lower table … I got the same table the other day … I will try that and the riser tomorrow. I have to do something as I really don’t want to do physio as my mom had it and it did no good, so not inclined to do it. I was doing exercises but got exasperated when it was not helping.
I have to ramp them back up. I truly think it is too many hours hunched over the laptop.
I have to come up with a solution –
not going to quit work/retire for a while and the alternative is giving up the blogging. Don’t want to do that either –
can’t have your cake and eat it too as that expression goes.
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I found the trackpad crazy at the beginning and could not control it, but you get used to it. I don’t think it matters whether you use the pad or a mouse, I think it’s the height or position you are typing in….it may take awhile for it to make a difference. I worked on income tax (mine and my mothers) all afternoon, but I would rather have been writing….
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I think I could raise the laptop even higher to force my head up higher … I feel like a horse and I must have someone reining me in! I have never even used the keyboard shortcuts … always used a mouse. Trying to retrain myself after all these years will be difficult. Tomorrow I tackle the vertical mouse – another nightmare. Our new tax laws are making people get less refund back and it will take longer this year due to the government shutdown. No words for that. What are you doing for your mom’s birthday Joan?
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Chinese food……takeout. She doesn’t like to go out on the actual birthday, so the 3rd week of March we will go out to a nice restaurant with two of her art friends who have March birthdays too.
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That will be nice … my mom’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day. The only time we ever went out on her actual birthday was if it fell on a weekend and we went out for lunch, not dinner. My mom would have turned 93 on Valentine’s Day, same age as your mom.
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You must miss her a lot Linda. I know how lucky I am to still have my mother at that age.
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Yes I do Joan, especially since I have no relatives at all. We were close, like you are with your mom and we lived together. I was really in shock when she passed away … we were having a conversation on Friday evening, and twelve hours later at the E.R. I was told she would not last the night and she passed away at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Everything happened so fast, that I didn’t have time to grasp the reality of it. My father is alive, as of last year – I think I mentioned that to you before, but I am not in touch with him and he lives in Germany. I’ve not seen him since 1984.
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That is so sad. I don’t know which is worse, Linda, having someone die suddenly and being in shock, or watching them slowly deteriorate with cancer. Although with my dad it was the same thing, he went into the ICU on Thurs night and died early Sunday morning. Even though we knew he had cancer that summer, we thought he would have more time and some treatment. He never really recovered from the surgery. Both are bad, but better for your mother that she went quickly. I am sure I will be in your situation some day, as I have explained in the past. I try not to think about it, but the thought is always there, and I wonder how I will cope. Certainly I won’t have anyone to help me out. But coping is what we do. Yes, you did mention your dad – I wonder if he has any regrets in his old age? As people get older, they may regret some of their earlier decisions. Do you think/know if you have any half-siblings there?
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I worried about my mom constantly and once she had the cellulitis so bad, while I was still working on site, it was very hard for her to walk, and she got an ulcer on one ankle and it rubbed on her shoe –
she needed to wear orthopedic shoes in order to walk. Her feet were fused when she was a young girl after the car accident, so she could not stand flatand had to have a heel (1 1/2 inches I believe)…I was deathly afraid she would fall and I would come home and find her with something broken. I called her when I got to work and at lunch to talk to her while I ate my lunch … I did worry a lot. I don’t know if he had or has regrets. The genealogist who tracked him down (just by paperwork only) … he did not have to do any legwork as he was a German genealogist, said he was living in a small town and had remarried, so I am thinking he lives on the money they had in joint accounts, and an annuity, and found another woman and married her – he is not divorced. technically My mother had to obtain a “divorce by default” to get his social security benefits as she could not work. She was not eligible for Social Security when he left – she was just 58.
No half-siblings that I know of over there. He had no family except an aunt and uncle and they are deceased.
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I check on my mom every morning and at night too, if I don’t go over in the afternoon or at supper or we are out for groceries or errands. I know she has the Lifeline button, but I do it anyway. My mom found her brother down in the laundry room on the floor with a stroke and he had been there for 3 days as no one had checked on him. I’ll have to read your blog tomorrow, as I’m going to bed soon…and you should too! I haven’t adjusted to daylight savings time yet! Good night!
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Yes it is a long blog post – don’t even read the entire thing just the part of the typing and the big rings – I tend to ramble … I am going to bed shortly too. Between Robb and the computer issue and a walk, I am ready, believe me. Good night Joan.
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I read it tonight (Wed) – it was very interesting and I can well relate. Those 4 years of typing in high school came in very useful later when computers came along, and other people were two finger typing on the keyboard. We were not allowed spares in high school so you had to fill up your 8 subject/day schedule with something. I also remember the white sticky paper, and having to retype the whole page if you made a mistake you couldn’t correct – that was a nightmare!
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I hate to sound like an old fogie, but the college kids today have NO idea what it was like back in the day doing term papers or book reports. Computing the space at the bottom for footnotes, that chalky sticky paper and how about turning the ribbon upside down to get more mileage out of it? And maybe you used carbon paper to have an extra copy. More fun. I often said that typing was one of the most-useful classes I ever took in high school – well for me it was 9th grade. We don’t and didn’t have grade 13. Our high school was 10th grade to 12th grade. Home economics sure was not a helpful class. Did you have home ec Joan? We learned how to sew … we learned how to lay out a pattern, sew it up (and our mothers didn’t help or finish it … hint, hint). We made aprons and an A-line shift. We learned how to iron and make little sausage puffed pastry.
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No I didn’t take home ec in high school….I don’t even think it was offered. But I did take it in grade 8 – we were bused to a different school. We had to made a tote bag and a jumper – my mother finished both for me at home because the machines never worked right in the home ec room, and the teacher spent all her time trying to fix them and then got mad at you when they didn’t work. We did a bit of cooking – I remember making french fries, and she was mad at me for not knowing how to peel a potato! I was 13 and never did any kitchen stuff at home, except for making grill cheese, as my mother was at home. I did not have fond memories of that class or that teacher! No wonder I never had any interest in domestic stuff until recently.
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Our home ec class was 8th grade and it was mandatory. Now I understand that boys can take home ec class and girls can take woodshop class if they want – hmm. I still don’t know how to peel a potato and when I used to make salads (back when there was not the listeria and salmonella issues and I still had my canary so always bought him fresh greens), I would buy cukes and I could not skin them. By the time I peeled them, there was nothing left so I quit buying them. Our home ec teacher was nice but we really didn’t learn too much in the class. I had the same issue as you – my mom stayed at home and so did all the cooking/baking and it was done when I was not around and I never really paid attention to it on the weekend. My mom always said “if you can read a cookbook, you can cook” … not true in my opinion. I didn’t have to do any of the domestic things in the house either – my mom did everything until it became more difficult for her to get around. She used to hang her laundry out from April to November – she’d bring sheets in frozen stiff and had a wringer washer for a long time. My father said there was no room for a washer/dryer. As soon as he was gone, we had an appliance store rep come in to measure as it was a tight squeeze – it fit in with about 4 or more inches to spare.
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My mother wanted us to concentrate on our schoolwork, plus she owned her kitchen! She’s still like that today, would prefer to do things herself, although I do take over sometimes. More often, I will cook something here, and take her the leftovers. Or we get takeout, or eat out. Today I bought some wonderful chicken pot pies made fresh by the grocery store deli, and they were excellent – far better than anything I could make. I bought extra to put in the freezer. I am by no means a good cook, but there are certain dishes I can do. I worked evenings for years, so cooking supper was not an issue. If you can read, you can cook, is so NOT true, as so much comes with experience, plus my major problem is knowing when things are done…..I tend to overcook stuff. I do like Diane’s kitchen blog however, so I have been printing recipes off that as they seem so easy.
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When my mother had her dizzy spell and I was then home from work, I had to make the meals as she was dizzy standing up … so she would sit in the kitchen on the chair and try to tell me how to do things. She was quite critical (you’re too slow, why did you never learn how to peel a cuke, you’re slicing the tomatoes wrong) … I was frustrated and reminded her that she had never showed me anything in the kitchen as she was “boss” there (same as your mom). So, I don’t really make anything for myself. I buy canned soups and that is it, get my vegetables and fruits from cans and it is a boring menu – the highlight of my day is my oatmeal for breakfast and I used to love my Dave’s bread and they stopped carrying it, so even a sandwich has lost its luster. I think at this point in my life, I will never be a cook or baker. Diane’s recipes do look easy and always delicious, but it is just me and for desserts, better I don’t try them..
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LOL! My mother likes to offer instructions too! It’s really her fault for not showing me more and not letting me in her kitchen. She hasn’t done big family dinners in over 15 years, I think she quit around 78, but you weren’t allowed in then either, other than to set the table and clean up. Of course we don’t have those big dinners anymore, because of the family dynamics and my nieces and nephews are grown and spread all over the country. I can cook a turkey, but I can’t make gravy……I don’t even like gravy. I have difficulty getting everything timed so it’s done at the same time. She likes lots of broth like homemade soups, which I don’t care for, I’d rather have a cream soup. We compromise on things we like. I like food and eating too much, to not cook something. But I mostly eat/make plain food, not spicey things that seem to be what’s in today. That’s why I like Diane’s stuff, it’s pretty basic. Sometimes when I go to a restaurant I find it difficult to find something on the menu I like, it’s all what’s on the cooking network shows, weird combinations of things etc.
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Yes – exactly the same, critical and I only had to help set the table and helped with dishes unless I had something to do after dinner, like cutting the lawn, but I usually helped with dishes every night. I wouldn’t know how to cook a turkey, never stuffed a bird, nor cooked one. I would make gravy from a tin or bottle, but since I don’t know to cook anything, no need for gravy. 🙂 We pretty much liked the same things, except my mom did not like fish. Sometimes she would make me tuna melt, but she’d have a grilled cheese. Other than that, we pretty much agreed on food, but not letting me learn anything was not to my benefit at all. I don’t like all the chi-chi stuff at restaurants either – I do like Diane’s dishes and desserts.
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I sometimes wonder if that’s why men don’t help out more in the kitchen…..they don’t do anything right for the “kitchen-owners” so then they don’t do anything at all!
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That sure makes sense because they feel even more out of their element when criticized – I asked to help a few times and my mom said “that’s okay” and as a result I really wasn’t interested in learning.
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One more thing to tell you Joan – I got a new follower this week. Her name is Ally. I looked at her blog and discovered about 6-7 other bloggers whose blogs I enjoy and interact with. One big happy family here. So, I followed her as she looks to be funny and interesting. Ally’s blog post yesterday was something I think you might enjoy as you like to delve into historical topics for your blog:
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Thanks – her post was cute – I commented as we had a “party line” in the 60’s when I was a kid, neighbours could listen in so you had to be careful what you said! I have seen her name before – and it reminds me of Ally McBeal – that old tv show from 2000.
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Yes, I remember party lines – we had those too.
In fact on our party line was an older woman who was the town gossip. Our neighbor used to listen in all the time and report what she heard to my mom. I had seen her name before in some of the women I follow. I thought her blog sounded funny so I would give it a whirl. It reminded me of that show too, though I never saw the show, I do remember it. I loved the Mary Tyler Moor Show from the 70s; when she died I did a blog post on it that night.
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The Ally McBeal show was great, in a quirky very creative way, but I only watched it the last few years….I wish they would have something good like that on again.
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I should look it up on YOuTube, I can remember when multiple shows would be on at 10:00 p.m. and it was before VCRs so you had to watch the originals during the new TV season and catch the other shows in Summer re-reruns.
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I don’t know that the show would have stood the test of time, but it was funny at the time!
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Yes it was – I liked how Kevin narrated it.
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PS. I’ve never actually watched any of her show as I don’t get Netflix, but I watched one of her youtube videos on folding, and couldn’t be bothered. I hang a lot of my stuff up on hangers, fewer wrinkles that way, as I hate ironing.
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I don’t have anything I need to iron, but I don’t go out at all so that’s why. All my shirts I wore under pantsuits or skirt suits were a polyester blend – I waited for the dryer bell to go of and I brought them upstairs on hangers and put them in the closet – like you, no folding, easier this way. And she was folding things to stand up so you could see them – nope, I wouldn’t do that either. Would we have done that back in the day Joan? I was so organized back in the day and I shudder sometimes at my lack of disorganization now. I had long hair and I had bought some hair accessories and videos by “Jontee Hair Designs” … their products were in several of the department stores, racks and racks of hair accessories, from combs, sticks, just everything you could want and my mom would French braid my hair and I had accessories for all my Summer outfits – in the Winter, when I wore a hat, I wore my hair down. But I had those accessories organized by plastic shoe boxes, labelled with how I organized them. I have these hair doodles for pony tails – shells, beads, suede or leather ties, denim … it boggles my mind and I can’t look at them because it makes me sad. At my age, I’m not going to have a hair ornament that is a shell with pieces of macrame with smaller shells hanging down. Sigh. And snoods – I used to collect them, with bows on some of them for dressier occasions. No one would even appreciate them if I gave them to them … it is like when my parents boxed up about 25 years of “National Geographic” magazines, in pristine condition, and took them to the library as a donation. They said “no one asks for that magazine, so no thank you.”
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LOL! I have several hat boxes full of those hair accessories too, not the dangling shells, but dangling multi-coloured beads. It must have been for a Jamaican beach look. Tons of hairbands, and a collection of bows – remember the Sarah Ferguson hair bows. I did go through them a few years ago but kept a few for nostalgia’s sake. I’m sure between us we could dress and accessorize a 70’s and 80’s and 90’s sitcom!
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That is so funny – yes my black lace snood has a satin black bow and I remember the Sarah Ferguson bows as well. I don’t know if I have any beaded ornaments, but the shells are so tiny, they might as well be beads. We are a stitch aren’t we? The photographer I follow on Facebook (Jill Wellington) is a portrait photographer and does a lot of vintage shoots. She goes to secondhand stores to find props for her pictures. She has a model she uses for her old-fashioned pics series called “Vintage Val” … we could accessorize sitcoms for sure (think of “The Wonder Years” … liked that show). I hate throwing those things away. I have not weeded out anything – I kept the hairbands to repurpose to push my hair back on the few (very very few) times I put on makeup.
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Hey, that’s just given me an idea. On my home page I have a submenu called the Vintage Corner, which I had set up at the beginning with the intention of selling some of my vintage clothes some day, (a very ambitious idea considering I don’t even know how to use PayPal or any of those programs), but I could post some pictures of them – someone else might appreciate the nostalgia of it…..one of my goals for March is to get a new camera, as my old one is not taking good pictures lately. I also have The Vintage Corner on my sidebar menu, so I could put pics there too….thanks for mentioning that!
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If you are on Facebook, look up Jill Wellington Photography and she just featured a picture of Vintage Val and if you are not on Facebook, I used this same picture a few years ago – our City and four other cities have a classic cruise event and people drive their classic cars all day long up and down the street … I used her Vintage Val in a classic car with sunglasses/scarf (remember chiffon scarves) …
I don’t know how to do PayPal either, nor Etsy … nope. I just thought of you today with the camera because since I registered with Canon for the last camera, I am now on their mailing list for new things, sales, etc. and they have a mirrorless camera which is like a compact digital, not a DSLR with lenses you change. I would have preferred this over what I got, but it is pricier and I got mine on sale for FAther’s Day – it is new and will come down in price for Summer/graduation/Father’s Day: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/13/18224035/canon-eos-rp-camera-announced-spec-pricing-release-date
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Thanks Linda…..I saved the page even if it is way out of my price range. I like the idea of both kinds of viewfinders, but at that price I might be afraid to use it. I have decided I just want something to throw in my purse.
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I would not go that high either but it will come down in price. I see mine has come down in price a lot since I got it and I got it cheap due to Father’s Day. I really like my point and shoot and I think I gave you its name/model number already. I am more pleased with its shots than the DSLR most of the time. Make sure if you don’t get that model that you get enough zoom. My first camera was 4X zoom and the pictures came out really small and compared to my neighbor’s camera, when we went out together sometimes, my shots looked pitiful next to her 12X (that is what I have on the digital compact).
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Yes you gave it to me before, and I will look for the 12X zoom – the better for some bird pictures!
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I was going to catch up here this morning, but got the computer guy’s proposal and had to make comments on that to him/Robb … he left out a few things and my boss is going today for a doctor’s appointment … he is nervous about it (I am commemnting here as it is not on my blog, though Robb does not follow or realy know about my blog) … he has a very high PSA level, his brother had prostate cancer. He is scared. Just wrote him a long note. I am more comfortable with my Canon 12X zoom camera … I used it on Saturday and I think the photos were just as good, if not better than the DSLR camera. If I had known that, I’d have waited for the mirrorless camera with better zoom, faster and more compact to come down in price. I do not indulge myself very often, but I needed a treat after my horrific 2017 year and wanted more or better photos for the blog.
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Horrific 2017 year??? Not meaning to pry, but I hope it has resolved. Your poor boss, that would be a worry, but those PSA levels sometimes turn out to be nothing.
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Yes I had all the contractor issues – insulation guys made a horrible mess that took me several months to clean up every weekend, had to repaint the laundry room floor twice due to the plumbing mess and had plumbing issues four times and that is why I was so furious when the pipes fell apart a month ago – I had to have the guy keep coming back to tighten them as they leak … I am afraid to use them … plumber said to call them every two years and they’ll tighten them. That never happened in the “olden days” when they used metal pipes and put putty on them. Now they just use a seal (like a gasket) . I see your other comment just popped up. Yes it is still high – he told me the score and told me to read his report on the medical portal which I did and it has gone up steadily since 2011. And his brother had prostate cancer, in remission many years now though, so that was on his mind (mine too).
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Well you deserved to treat yourself to the camera after all that!
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I had nothing but messes and when I cleaned the first mess up, I had the guy come in to clean the back of the dryer and he pulled the A/C drain out of the sink and had it sticking up in mid-air. It was a horribly hot September day and had been for three days’ straight. The next day after he was there to clean the dryer vent (routine visit) my internet went out and I went downstairs to reboot the modem and water was all over the laundry room … waher and dryer had inch of water up the sides. The A/C was running continuously and not in the sink. I called them and asked someone to come and move the washer/dryer out so I could clean before … they were about to close so I said I would pay them under the table to come and move it … then he came and moved it out – in doing so, he twisted the foot off the washer. I cleaned up all the mess from the A/C hose and was washing clothes that weekend and the washer was dancing across the floor – while laying on the washer to keep it from jumping and finish the load (it was a weekend naturally and they closed at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday) I saw water seeping out of the floor under the sink – I had to call the appliance place to have them fix the washer “feet” and then the plumber to fix the seeping. They made another mess and more money and I had to repaint the laundry room … not all of it, it was tiled, but they had to remove the tiles and dig. Not a good year, and then Marge died as well. And earlier in the year I had issues with my boss – another whole long story. I thought I deserved a treat and got the camera.
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OMG that sounds like a nightmare! Well it’s a good thing you got the camera.
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I thought I deserved a treat – it was a horrendous year. I think I read that about every 7 years people have a horrible year. My 2009 was not great, but 2010 (the year my mom passed away) was bad too, so I guess, using that theory, I was “ripe”. I’m already dreading 2024! We have severe weather today – was just to be 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. and the first storm came through (110 mph) (177 kph) but about an hour away from me. Mother Nature is not done with us yet. A cold front is coming through later and will hit all counties. Been uneasy all day – high winds to 70 mph and possible rotation (EF0 tornado).
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It hasn’t been too bad here just a bit of drizzle, but maybe it hasn’t hit here yet!
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That’s all we have had so far, but now they’ve extended the severe storm warning until 10:00 p.m. – we now await the cold front approaching and Round 2. Too early for this volatile weather … second high wind advisory since Sunday!
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I spoke too soon. Just after 10pm we had a torrential downpour and high winds and thunder. I hope that’s it for the night or I won’t be sleeping.
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It left here about that time and headed your way. Mid-Michigan had two tornadoes – one was an EF0 and one a EF2. The EFO did little damage but the EF2 wreaked havoc … demolished three houses, a barn, ripped off roofs and mowed down trees. They have no power for at least two days and the debris was everywhere.
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The storm blew through quickly, about 15 min. of torrential rain and wind, then it died down, so I was able to sleep.
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That’s good – we ended up having four tornadoes all together (three mild, one damaging). They now say that 70 homes or businesses were damaged, but three homes and one barn were completely flattened. Scary and it is too soon for tornado season.
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PS. I hope your boss appreciates all you do for him, including looking for his lost cell phone and typing up his medical questions!
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I just finished typing up the notes from the meeting. He took his dictaphone into the appointment with him, hidden in his pocket and turned the recorder on. He didn’t send me the tape – he transcribed the notes and I had to type them. I know … SMH.
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Good news as far as my boss … not totaly out of the woods, but it was not cancer and has to go back for labs in 3 months and labs/doc appointment in six months. It was a trying day and the two consults with the computer guy – he is placing Part I of the order tomorrow for the server/backup system and the two laptops.
Tomorrow I’ll try the vertical mouse … had to get over here and this afternoon was without work (which was nice for a change and really needed to focus on something so did a funny blog post) … stopped and ate, and now will tackle here and Evelyn has sent 12 e-mails … I have to try and consolidate them at some point.
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That is good news! I jut finished commenting that those PSA’s often turn out to be nothing. I remember one urologist saying he wished that test had never been invented as it often just causes a lot of worry, and was only really useful for following up someone who has had prostrate cancer.
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Wow – I should have mentioned it before as he has been going for tests and appointments now for a month – today was the final one and he had me type up a list of questions to ask the doctor – made me uneasy what was on his mind (and mine as well) … he had spoken to his brother at length about his symptoms/surgery. Years ago my mom and I had close friends of the family and they bought one of those big medical questions books. This was before the internet and Google and “Ask Jeeves” (remember that?) Anyway, they said every ache and pain they had, they would “consult” the book. They read so much and would go to the doctor and the doctor would say – you guys quit reading the book!
They gave it to my mom. Both of them died from cancer within about 3 years of one another. Made my mom and I feel sick to hear that – perhaps their feelings of being unwell were not in their head as the doc suggested. Misdiagnosed like your Dad?
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So it must be a big relief for him to have an answer finally. The worst part of going to the doctors is the waiting….
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Yes, and all the appointments and not knowing anything – he had two bouts of skin cancer right after we moved out on our own. I realize it is not the same type of cancer, but between that and his brother having it – I’m sure he was quite nervous.
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Thanks for the inspiration! Love the painting.
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My mother will be 93 years young next week. She only took up painting 6 years ago seriously, when she gave up driving, and has had a number of small local exhibits and one big gallery one. Her paintings are always cheerful. She doesn’t sell much, but people seem to like them.
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Wow – that’s fantastic! I love hearing these stories, it reminds us that we can still accompish wonderful things at any age! Thanks for sharing this.
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I think Spring cleaning went by the wayside when both men and woman began working. After working 40 hours (or more) who has the time or energy to Spring clean.
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I agree. I hire Molly Maid every 6 months for a thorough cleaning. They usually send 3 people so it’s quick too.
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I wish I could do that! I’m the kind of person that would have to clean before they got here..😂🤣😂🤣😂
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Beautiful painting! Love your mom’s artistic talent. Its funny, everywhere I go and turn I hear the name Marie Kondo…give it up to her..she’s definitely onto something and I agree with you…she’s laughing all the way to the bank 😂
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Thanks! My mom who will soon be 93, only took up painting seriously 5 years ago when she gave up driving. She does ok for someone with very little training, other than a few college courses years ago. I reposted the Marie Kondo blog because she has become so popular again, as a result of the Netflix show, which I have not watched as I don’t get Netflix. Your house always looks so spotless and organized, I suspect you don’t have need of her advice!
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