On My Way Up

I have decided to clean out the attics this year. It MUST be done. We have 3 attics that are used for storage. They are located at the back and front of our house under the eaves. It is impossible to stand up straight in the attics. When you enter them, if you're smart, you wear a hard hat or helmet to prevent head whacks against the beams. I am not smart. I have however, over the years, learned to crouch and scuttle like a big crab while in the attics thus avoiding, most of the time, getting bruised and battered. So, as I was saying, I decided to clean out the attics. It is time to downsize, to get rid of unused and unneeded stuff. That was, I found, easier to say than do. My problem is that I have a tendency to remember "who gave me what" and so I feel guilty when I put something in the "to-go" pile. SIGH! However, I straightened up my backbone...after I came out of the attic....and got on with the dirty deed. I am happy to say that half the front attic has been cleared. Yes, there is a lot of Christmas stuff going back into storage BUT there was a whole lot more that was tossed. In fact Hubby John was, I think, surprised by how much got sent off to a good cause. Really, when you think about it, it WAS a good cause because it is someone else's problem now. A local organization, now has a whole lot more items, most in excellent condition, for their upcoming garage sale fundraiser. So, by my cleaning out they will be cleaning up. Yes, I still have the other end of the front attic to clean out but that is mostly old paperwork that will need to be shredded. There is not really much else left in there. Maybe 3 or 4 boxes of John Vincent's childhood treasures that will be sent over to his house. It will be his decision to decide what to or not to keep. So now, I have one attic almost done and 2 to go. I have to work faster as hot weather is approaching and I can't work in the attics in hot weather as I will pass out from the heat. Time is moving on so I need to get into high gear. Attics beware.....I am on my way up.

Just in case I forget.

Some days I surprise myself with the simple act of remembering not only my name but what I had for breakfast......yesterday. What did I have yesterday for brekkie? Hmmm...let me see....Hubby John made the food and my Cutie Patootie Neve and I ate it...now what was it???? Oh yes, I remember. Eggs over easy, bacon, brown toast with apple jelly and milk. Yummy...it was very good. One of the nice things about having Cutie Patootie sleep over is that when it comes to food, she doesn't like bread crusts but I do....so I get hers...WHAT???!!!??? Oh... it's only a few crusts.....it doesn't hurt her not to have to eat them....and besides Cutie Patootie pretty much rules the roost over at our place. No food is wasted and everyone is happy. My mother, who turned 80 in February, has never, to my knowledge, eaten bread crusts. It didn't do her any harm,. She's normal....well as normal as my mother can be...so there you go! Crusts are optional at Grams and Papa's house. However, I digress. I started this post stating that my memory, or lack of, sometimes surprises me. Some days it is really bad and that's when things get put where they shouldn't. But it's all good. Mostly everything gets found....sooner or later. The voices in my head will eventually remind me of where I put that bag of milk....check the fridge freezer....yup, it's there. LOL!
Carolyn, who is Sarah's (my daughter by marriage) mother and a lady who I think of as a good friend, has a Game Boy(or whatever it is) that has a Brain and Memory Tester game. She plays this game everyday for 15 minutes or so and swears that her memory has improved. I always thought that was a good thing to do, but since I don't have the money for the game I have done without.....UNTIL TODAY!
Well anyway, Carolyn sent me an email about going onto a site to enable companies to donate free kibble to another site for animal shelters across the USA. Even thought it does not benefit Canadian shelters I will support sites and programs that can help anyone or anything that is needful. This was a free site and would only take a few minutes of my time so off I went. Well, of course,while I was there I got sidetracked because I just had to check out the various tabs. While doing so I came across a program of brain food games that is free for all to use. How great is that??!!?? I get to do something for myself and it's free too! My thrifty side was very pleased.
So when you have a few minutes and want to do something good for yourself go and enlighten your brain cells. The site is called Care2..make a difference and there are all sorts of things to read about. Like...did you know that if you run a metal hanger down pant legs (turn the pants inside out first) it will get rid of static cling? See.....you just did your brain some good. You learned something new! Anyway, go over to the site, click on the Health and Wellness tab on the left side, then click on the "5 Ways To Boost Your Memory " and scroll down to number 5. There on the second paragraph (the "Work Your Mind" sentence) you just click on "these online exercises" and get started on your brain food. Now don't worry! It really is brain exercises not body exercises. OH NO!!!!! I don't mean to scare you with the "E" word! It's OK! It won't hurt you and you won't get sweaty. I'm sorry.....I didn't mean to bring on a heart attack or anything like that! Whew.......be calm......think sunny thoughts....breath deeply...that's it.....it's OK........think yoga thoughts......breath in....breath out....breath in....breath out.......Are you OK? That's good! So, now that I have averted any possible heart attacks, allergy attacks or panic attacks, I just wanted to let everyone know that I did go over there and I did do some brain exercise and I had fun!
Oh.....and I also bookmarked the site..........just in case I forget.

I thought and I could have sworn.

If I had a penny for every time I uttered the words "I thought..." or "I could have sworn..." I would be a rich woman right now. It seems that my days are a wasteland of lost things. Maybe if I was a bit more, OK who am I kidding?...let me re-phrase that line.....maybe if I was a LOT more organized, I wouldn't waste half my days and nights going through cupboards, drawers and closets muttering "I thought....I could have sworn..". Geesh! It's enough to drive a woman insane and a Hubby John crazy. I am sure he must sit in his chair, with his feet up, watching his TV show while I run around the house looking for another whatever that I thought and could have sworn I had, thinking to himself, "Well if you would get all your crap together in one place and labelled you'd know where it is....if you even have it." See, this is why I need a craft room. Then I would only have to be in one room saying, "I though I had or I could have sworn.". I wouldn't be driving Hubby John crazy. HJ if you are reading this, and I am sure you are, we need to move to a bigger house. I need a craft room. Hey don't even go there! Never mind....you want a heated garage, I want a craft room. Fair is fair! Naw......forget it. Just the thought of packing up all my stuff to move it and then having to unpack it again exhausts and depresses me. If I actually had to do all that packing I would probably die of exhaustion and mental stress. Ha! Yes, people can so die from exhaustion. I saw it on House and CSI and Dr. Oz. Oh sure, I can take Happy Pills for the mental part but the actual work would definitely kill me I am sure. Stop smiling HJ! Can you imagine me trying to pack up this house? Running around with scissors, string, tape and a marker looking for stuff to pack? While you supervise from the chair yelling at me not to run with the scissors because I might fall and poke my eye out. Yah right....who are I kidding? We both know I don't run so that would never happen. But still if we did move you would really go crazy listening to me repeat over and over....."I thought...", "I could have sworn"..."I thought".... Yes, it really would drive you crazy. Hmm.........this is a thought to myself and I should write it down before I forget, (where is a post-it note when I need one?) if HJ went crazy and got put into the insane asylum I wonder how long it would take to convert the office to a craft room. Well there you go! Perfect solution to my problem! No need to move.
Hubby John.....your Nuts! A wild and crazy guy! I need to call our lawyer and have him get started on the paperwork. Now if I could just remember where the Rolodex is. Hmmm...let me think about this for a minute......I thought it was on the desk, or maybe in the office, was it the kitchen? no... aha! the living room.....nope, you know I thought and I could have sworn..............