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Honored Contributor
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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

@aprilskies

 

I order very little from Amazon, but Better-half keeps a list of items and when it gets to the point where we have enough on it to put an order together, he'll go ahead and do it.  He always asks if there's anything I need.  I usually say I don't, but I figure I can use these orders to pick up something I've been thinking about.  Like Salux cloths.

 

These scalp scrubbers are... nifty.  They really help to get the product (shampoo, conditioner) dispersed through your hair, down to your scalp.  They've made a difference.

 

Your toothbrush story reminded me how quickly a year goes by.  I replaced mine last August and there was a $20 mail-in rebate.  Man, I hate those.  The company sent me a card -- like a credit card -- that sat... and sat... until I remembered it was sitting.  It had an expiration date, of course, and now it's useless.  Rrrrzzzz.

 

I, too, have repeal and replace moments.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Start over lighter and leaner.  But now I just want things to wear out on their own and go away.  Some things will be replaced but most won't.  Like unnecessary furniture.  You know, those items that fill a space but really serve no purpose?

 

I saw a segment on TV recently about tiny houses.  Homes under 200 square feet.  The first thing I notice on these little -- and I mean little -- tours is this: Where are their books?  No books, no objet d'arts.  I'm sitting here looking at bookcases full of books and a glass cabinet full of Oaxacan animals and insects.  Right now I have two copies of 1984 on my desk.  All these things would have to go away.

 

My old tax returns would fill 200 square feet.

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~
Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

Solar eclipse

 

Today's the day!  Solar eclipse!

 

And it's raining!

 

Got plans?

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~
Respected Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!


@just bee wrote:

@aprilskies

 .

 

Your toothbrush story reminded me how quickly a year goes by.  I replaced mine last August and there was a $20 mail-in rebate.  Man, I hate those.  The company sent me a card -- like a credit card -- that sat... and sat... until I remembered it was sitting.  It had an expiration date, of course, and now it's useless.  Rrrrzzzz.

 

I, too, have repeal and replace moments.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Start over lighter and leaner.  But now I just want things to wear out on their own and go away.  Some things will be replaced but most won't.  Like unnecessary furniture.  You know, those items that fill a space but really serve no purpose?

 

I saw a segment on TV recently about tiny houses.  Homes under 200 square feet.  The first thing I notice on these little -- and I mean little -- tours is this: Where are their books?  No books, no objet d'arts.  I'm sitting here looking at bookcases full of books and a glass cabinet full of Oaxacan animals and insects.  Right now I have two copies of 1984 on my desk.  All these things would have to go away.

 

My old tax returns would fill 200 square feet.


 

Doesnt that just kill ya.  That is why I have come to hate rebates.  Yesterday I was reminded why I hate shopping at Kohls anymore.  The kohls cash is nice but you go to spend it and if free shipping isn't offered, you end up spending so much more than you want especially if items are not avail to ship to store. But yesterday I caught myself, deleted everything and found socks that were avail for pickup and was done. Now I just have to go pick them up.  Hours spent trying to use the 10 Kohls cash was not even worth my time or energy. But for some reason I couldn't let it go.  I think I get irritated with myself for waiting until the last minute to use it and I wasn't about to drive out to the store. 

 

I have spent hours looking at those tiny houses. Some are so efficient. the creativity of some of them is awesome.  Although, no way Jose. I would go crazy in such a small space.  Claustrophobia, anyone?  However, I often wondered what it would be like to be free of all the excess to be able to do it. 

 

I read somewhere out there in the internet world where one person went into a thrift store and found a slew of expensive dolls that back in the day cost a mint.  Someone must have passed away and these dolls were donated because no one wanted them. I thought how sad and depressing.  Someone's treasures were someone's else's trash. But at least whoever treasured them, enjoyed them.  That is really all that matters.  I can't imagine thrift stores arent inundated with these types of things.  i wonder if they sell at all. Most kids today do not want what their parents have. 

 

Alright, I better run.  Have a nice day everyone. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!


@just bee wrote:

Solar eclipse

 

Today's the day!  Solar eclipse!

 

And it's raining!

 

Got plans?


 

 

Seems this one is a big event with people scrambling to get their hands on glasses. 

Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!


@aprilskies wrote:

@just bee wrote:

Solar eclipse

 

Today's the day!  Solar eclipse!

 

And it's raining!

 

Got plans?


 

 

Seems this one is a big event with people scrambling to get their hands on glasses. 


@aprilskies

 

Better-half ordered them months ago -- before he realized we were not in the path of totality.  Ironically, he brought a pair up and gave them to his brother; his plan is to start driving home today so I have no idea where he'll be during the eclipse.  Right now it's not at the top of his priority list.  Meanwhile, I'm here with two pairs of glasses and hoping the clouds part for a few hours.

 

Wyoming is expecting to more than double its population.  Over a million people are flooding into Oregon.  Skies there are still smoky from all the wildfires.

 

I'll get the dog out early this morning and maybe pick up some groceries, then wait. 

 

I'm looking forward to it.  Some New Mexicans are anxious about the whole thing but I believe it's... auspicious. Woman Wink

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~
Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,948
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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

Hope everyone had a memorable eclipse.  Next one's April 8, 2024!

 

Better-half is home and his truck was full of... stuff.

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~
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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

@geezerette

 

You know those moments, early in the morning, when you're all alone and you have the need to confess?

 

So Better-half, ever practical, arrived home with items that were, for the most part, practical.  He isn't strictly utilitarian so many of these objects appealed to him aesthetically.

 

I got up this morning and tried to incorporate some things into our existing collections.  But I also woke up perturbed.  When he got home yesterday he handed me a bookmark.  It was the type I collected in the 70s (and still have, by the way) -- the ones easily found at any Hallmark store.  A picture, usually a funny or sentimental message, and some yarn attached.  The one he handed me was well-worn.  There was a photo of an Old English Sheepdog; a message ("Here's looking at you!"); and a message scrawled on the back by someone who was obviously new to penmanship.

 

A simple message.  It was to his mother -- and he didn't write "mom."  He wrote her name and then he wrote that it was from... well, he used a nickname.  Neither of us use our nicknames.  Ever.  But there it was -- in print: A pint-sized Better-half.

 

Then he took it back from me and tossed it in the kitchen trash.

 

"Why did you do that?"

 

"Why would I keep it?"

 

But his mother had kept it for 40 years.

 

And so, as I was washing the very cool pint glasses he came home with, I stopped to reach down into the trash to retrieve the bookmark.

 

And that just illustrates the difference between us.

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~
Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-16-2010

Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!


@just bee wrote:

@geezerette

 

You know those moments, early in the morning, when you're all alone and you have the need to confess?

 

So Better-half, ever practical, arrived home with items that were, for the most part, practical.  He isn't strictly utilitarian so many of these objects appealed to him aesthetically.

 

I got up this morning and tried to incorporate some things into our existing collections.  But I also woke up perturbed.  When he got home yesterday he handed me a bookmark.  It was the type I collected in the 70s (and still have, by the way) -- the ones easily found at any Hallmark store.  A picture, usually a funny or sentimental message, and some yarn attached.  The one he handed me was well-worn.  There was a photo of an Old English Sheepdog; a message ("Here's looking at you!"); and a message scrawled on the back by someone who was obviously new to penmanship.

 

A simple message.  It was to his mother -- and he didn't write "mom."  He wrote her name and then he wrote that it was from... well, he used a nickname.  Neither of us use our nicknames.  Ever.  But there it was -- in print: A pint-sized Better-half.

 

Then he took it back from me and tossed it in the kitchen trash.

 

"Why did you do that?"

 

"Why would I keep it?"

 

But his mother had kept it for 40 years.

 

And so, as I was washing the very cool pint glasses he came home with, I stopped to reach down into the trash to retrieve the bookmark.

 

And that just illustrates the difference between us.


@just bee

 

 Yes, I do know those moments, although lately I haven't had any alone time in the mornings and I miss it desperately.  But I digress...

 

A psychiatrist would have a field day with this one.   But I'll give you my amateur stab at it.  You think that while his practical side (the glasses that you could actually use) wouldn't allow him to keep the bookmark, his (deeply hidden) sentimental side subconsciously really wanted you to keep it, otherwise why would he bring it all the way home and not just toss it away with everything else he didn't want?  It brought out the whole "small boy loses his mommy" thing.  As much as he wanted to not go there, dealing with his mother's loss and subsequent possessions forced him to relive a lot of emotions.  Add to that, the fact that it was a bookmark made the connection between you and his mother.  I'm sure there were many other items that brought back memories for him, but this happened to tie you two together so the emotion was even greater.  Making a show of throwing it away in front of you to show you he doesn't care, but bringing it back in the first place and purposely showing it to you in the first place!  Conflicting emotions.  You probably will have a lot of that to deal with for a while.

 

Also, the ever-practical side of him figured he could bring that item home since it was so small and didn't take up any room.  How's that?

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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

I hate those debit/credit rebate cards!  Everybody does that now.  It was bad enough when you had to wait for your rebate to come through the mail, but these are worse.  And of course, the companies are just hoping that you let them expire instead of redeeming them.  Most of the time, unless it's for a decent amount of money, I don't even bother to send in the forms.

 

And the rebates for the pet medications are the worst.  You have to send in a copy of your vet receipt which has a bunch of personal information about your pet (at least mine do), which the pharmaceutical corporation has no business knowing.

 

Don't just give the customer money off the top--that would be too easy.  Make the customer do all the work for a few measly dollars.  Excellent way to do business, not.

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Re: ComPact 2017 – Auspicious August!

@aprilskies

 

I'm with you on the lighter furniture.  Most of what we have is sort of medium, and our house is all light to medium colors, but it really doesn't fit well in this climate.  I guess we couldn't get the desert living out of our system when we first built here.  I got a home catalog the other day and I ended up cutting out a couple of pages to save just to look at.  I'm not pining away to order anything, but they had depicted a bedroom of all light neutral colors--walls, floors, bedding--everything light, airy and well, bland to most people I suppose.  But to me it looked so calming, peaceful and serene.  Very inviting.

 

Thankfully, I never got into collecting anything.  Probably because I'm too lazy to maintain it and am too fickle to like the same thing longer than a year or two at a time.  And age and infirmity have curtailed the few fashion excesses I had--shoes and purses.  I can only wear basically two brands of shoes now, and even then only one or two styles within each brand.  And I just can't carry a big heavy leather purse anymore.  In fact, I actually was able to finally donate the last of my big designer bags a few weeks ago.  They had been sitting on the shelf in my closet for years but I just couldn't part with them.  When I finally realized a while ago that the desire for them just wasn't in me any longer, I gave them away and haven't regretted it a bit.

 

I think a lot of my urge to declutter is purely because I'm lazy.  Even when I'm feeling good, I just don't want to maintain this stuff.  I used to take pride in keeping a spotless house.  This summer I've been fighting a losing battle with insects and dirt and the house is truly a mess.  It needed to be redone a few years ago, and with this dog and her utter destructive behavior, there's not much left.  The old geezer says he did the house once, he's not going to redo it.  I just can't get into keeping it up.  And so instead of cleaning out the garage, I sit in the shade and watch the birds.  And I don't care.