CABIN FEVER

That's what rent a maid is for, Rita. You decorate, they clean.

I'm with you there Rita. In fact I need to get going to do my final house cleaning before our company starts arriving tomorrow -- and I'm stalling! I think I should've been a boy, as I've always been drawn to outside activities and absolutely HATE doing anything related to housework! So I guess I'd better get to it --drat!!!

I actually thought of hiring some soret of cleaning service, things were so bad. But before I could clean or have someone clean, I had clutter everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Thats what I started on, putting away or throwing out the clutter. By the time I got lots of the clutter put away I figgured I just may as well continue on with the cleaning. Plus some things happened that weren't planned on. Like a big part of the dropped ceiling in my bedroom fell down, luckily not on anything but the floor. But now you can see the rafters in the more than 4 by 4 hole in there. Other parts are sagging and the entire thing needs to come down and be redone new. I just can't face having it done with the big mess it will be. As if that was not bad enough I leak a leak in a pipe valve in my kitchen ceiling and the plumlers had to cut out a big chunk of ceiling to fix the leak. But there is alot more water ruined ceiling than the piece out so I would have to have much of it taken down, maybe all of it, and resheetrocked and painted. Truthfully I am just ignoring it and try not to look up. If the plaster and mess on the floor was so bad, and it was really a mess, from the small hole, I can't imagine what the entire ceiling would bge to deal with. My goal is modest, just get things clean. Anything else will wait until I can decide what to do and the weather gets nicer. Its really no wonder I haven't been thinking of buying new iris and daylilies for spring, my budget is shot and will be more so.

Yikes! Sounds like you've sure had your share of troubles lately, Rita. Maybe after New Years Day you'll feel like having someone come out to give you an estimate, etc. I'm sure they will put drop cloths everywhere to contain the debris as they remove it. But I agree that's a real bummer! In my case, we're always so messy that we would have to clean up for a day so someone could actually do the cleaning -- but I'm moving more and more in that direction now as we get older. My husband is a "collector" and unfortunately can't stop -- and me -- well, all my "stuff" is really important, you see. At least I contain mine so it's not in the "public" areas, but it's still way too messy around here. And that's why it's so good that we're having company coming in through Christmas because now we HAVE to straighten up and clean. Plus we can't wait to visit with our relatives that we haven't seen in a while!


Yuck -- Back to vacuuming and cleaning...

That's what I have been doing today, vacuming and cleaning. Same thing yesterday and will be the same thing tomorrow. I hate it. Plus I am just messy by nature. I also had some work done fixing the furnance and I had to have a completely new toliet put in when mine completely broke. Not something one can do without and can't do without heat either LOL! . Plus the leakey kitchen ceiling is still not fixed, there is still some water seepage (afew drops) coming from somewhere.

I really don't mean to complain, I am very thankful for a good life with a warm place to live and plenty of food on the table. Plus my garden which is a great joy in my life.

I lived just south of Oakland.

Ah - thanks Red. Bet you don't miss California at all by now, eh? I really wish we could move down to the San Diego area, but the homes/cost of living are just too expensive down there. We have a timeshare in Oceanside that we spend four weeks a year at, and that has to be enough for us. And the rest of the year we breathe in the really bad air of the southern San Joaquin Valley! Yuck!!!

Rita, sounds like we're a lot alike, except I'm much worse. I'm "resting" now from my vacuuming and trying to build enthusiasm for putting away the last of the Christmas dec's. My problem is that I mentally fight it every minute that I have to do housework, and if I could only bring myself to just do it without thinking about it I would be so much better off -- but that's not me, unfortunately. And believe me, I am very messy by nature and have become almost a professional procrastinator. I find all kinds of reasons to wait until the last possible minute and then drive myself crazy running around picking up and cleaning... no discipline! But it surely seems like you do have quite a bit to fret about right now, and venting is good. And your attitude is great when you say you're thankful for having and appreciating a good life, and I also am very thankful that my problems are so slight compared to what they could be and what many others have to face. So I guess I should just pick myself up and march back in there and get with it! OK, I'm about to move now...

Oh yes, and how are the baby chicks?

Oh, Rita. Now that all is not good!

I had a leak by the skylight in the kitchen, and now we have 2 foot of snow on the roof, it's stopped, and no one can get up there to fix it. When that snow starts melting it's going to be a mess. And of course it stained the ceiling. It's an odd skylight, a double, and it leaked a couple of years ago. We fixed the leak, and redid the ceiling, but it really is not practical to keep the skylight. And I love it.

Yes, I don't miss California at all, especially with Brown in there as governor. My kids lived in Fresno for a while, so I'm familiar with the bad air. You should move down here. Housing prices are a steal and irises love the climate. Our house has lost 1/2 it's value in 3 years, not that we are planning on moving anytme soon.

I hate leakey ceilings LOL! I live in an old house and I just got stuck in a bunch of stuff going wrong in a streak and lots of repairs bunched up together. I am not a winter person as I would much rather spend my time outdoors in my garden. But spring will eventually come around. Meantime I do love to read and read lots and lots of fiction. Rarely read in the summer because when I am not working I am out in the garden. Come the cold weather I just about hybernate and hate to go outside. So I read in the winter as I love books. I also watch lots of videos I rent from Netflix so the winter does go farely quickly.

I had another hatch today and have 12 new chicks out of 16 eggs I had in the incubator. There is more news about that on the Poultry forum.

Alright you gardeners, you need to come over to Clean and Clutter Free forum on DG. We are having a good time getting rid of our clutter and then keeping our clutter corners clean afterward. Cleaning out the clutter is the easy but time consuming part. Keeping it clean after de-cluttered is the hard part.

Now that is one handsome Red Headed clan. My mother's brother lived in Gresham, Oregon and was a berry farmer. He had four daughters and they all were red heads. Just different shades of red.

Rita, that many repairs must be over whelming. Good for you for keeping your good spirit up.

Good luck all your guys with the bad weather. We are actually expecting rain in the next few days. Been cloudy and looks cold but actually is not. High 50s to low 60s. No wind. I am with you on the wind. The wind can wear you out.

Stay safe and warm all of you. Sharon

Well here in Oregon this week we had a large tornado hit just south of Portland in a town named Aumsville destoried a couple of businesses and about 50 homes and thankfully not one death.

And I was complaining about having to get a new camera for the business, new dish washer, and the computer crashed and had to buy a new one there and helped with grandson's college fees and some personal health problems for the family that we will not know the entire answer until tonight.

I am thankful looking out with frost covering the fields and down to 20 last night that we have a nice warm home to live in and the family is all here in Oregon together. We will have another rain free day today YIPPY. then 6 days of rain again..but we do live in the PNW and have some of the best weather other than the rain.

We moved from Whittier/LaMirada CA in 91 and the ONLY things we missed in the beginning were the kids, friends and the SUN, now all the kids are here near us, most of our friends either moved out or have passed on, so now all we really miss is the sun. But I would not trade the SUN if I still had the traffic, the smog, the crowds. I remember if you did want to go anywhere fun over any holiday you had to start on Wed and then either come home one day early or two days late and that was then not holiday but a vacation. Here live 2 hours from one of the most beautiful coastlines ever and I have seen all of the beaches from Baja to Port Angeles WA, and the mountains are about 30 mins away. The bigger towns of Eugene and Salem are a 45 min drive away either north or south. Would I move NO my house is totally paid for and we have 10 acres. 3 for the business 1 1/2 for the house area and the rest is pasture and it is cut for hay every year.

D

Wishing each of you who read this a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a bighter 2011

Thank you for the wishes, Dee. A Merry Christmas to you & I hope that you are doing well on your recovery.