Beauty

[Oshare-girl]

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@Oshare-girl wrote:

---

@KaySD wrote:

What is a bosque?

---

@KaySD Thanks for asking what a bosque is.  I was wondering the same thing.  @just bee bosques are amazing!  I never would have guessed that was in there.

---

@Oshare-girl

 A very different landscape compared to Hawaii!

What's funny about the cottonwoods is that they produce "cotton" that floats all over the city during the spring and it looks like it's snowing.

---

@just bee WOW! You don't see that in Hawaii.  I guess that's why I enjoy traveling.  Even though we live in "paradise", we don't have a lot of variety. Thanks for the pictures!

[Oshare-girl]

---

@rnmom wrote:

Happy weekend everyone!

I'm happy to say, we finally had a productive weekend last weekend. It was warm and sunny and we were able to FINALLY get outside for a while. We got our garage all cleaned out, took everything out, actually washed the walls and did some rearranging of items. We took the snow/winter/hunting items out to hubby's pole barn and got the bikes and some summer items out. There is still some work to be done outsite, actually getting the deck chairs/umbrella out, etc. but it was a really good start. 

Hubby also did some work in the pole barn, did a little cleaning and organizing, swept it out and cleaned up some of the trash. He sold his motorcycle and his spare riding lawnmower and snow blade so there is more room in there too. (Until he decides he needs another toy that is). It's not perfect, and not as nice as the house garage, but it's an improvement from what it was. All 3 of our trashcans were full out to the curb this past week so that was a good thing.

I also finally got some donations dropped off this past week to an emergency women's shelter for domestic violence. I dropped off the items at their retail shop and from what I read online it says when donations are dropped off they first sort them and anything that can be used immediately goes directly to the shelter. Other items are put out in their retail shop for sale to the public. Also the women at the shelter get vouchers to shop at the store for items they need. I thought that sounded really nice and someplace to help support rather than just take everything to the Salvation Army. I've thought about donating to them many times but wasn't sure if the donations stayed in the store or went to the shelter and I was glad to find out that items will go to the shelter too. The shelter itself it quite a bit farther away from where we live so I never donated to them, but the retail shop is right across the street from Salvation Army so easy to drop off. I will definitely take items there again. They also take toiletries that are new so I will maybe look around and see if I have any unloved items here that they might like. 

---

@rnmom I wish there was something like that near to me. I would love to donate to them.  The closest I can get is Dress For Success, which only takes business clothes, shoes, bags and accessories.  I have other things I need to donate in addition to that. 

[Oshare-girl]

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

---

---

@geezerette

@KaySD

I guess it's also incentive to get things in order.  If I haven't used an item in 20 years I really doubt I'll be using it 20 years from now.  Which, at the rate things are going, is like, next week.

---

I always round up.  Much like saying an item that is $2.95 is $3.  

Right now I’m bouncing between thinking about the next twenty (or at least ten) years and not making next week.  Trying to take care of every little detail, or just chucking everything other than what is absolutely necessary.

The “necessary” list is pretty long, though.  I have a lot of needs, even if I’m not going to be here forever.

---

@geezerette

The "necessary" list is adding up.  I've never followed a "budget" and I can't even say what I earn and what I spend on a monthly basis.  Yesterday I sat and added up my expenses for April.  The majority was state, federal and property taxes as well as tax preparation costs.  The only money I spent on me -- on "personal" items -- was for deodorant and shampoo/conditioner.  The one splurge was pizza.

I swear if I ever get a new tattoo it'll be "T.S. Eliot was right."

Definitely ready for May.

---

@geezerette

@just bee

We all need a little perspective. That's why we go through hard times.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

I too don't know how to follow or make a budget.  Taxes are depressing.  And I have become much more aware of the "must have" vs "nice to have". 

I have turned a corner. Seeing how I was able to resist the sales this time was an encouragement and good for my morale. I almost fell for it.  When Stowaway Cosmetics sent that 50% off email that said "this is the last sale ever, something new is coming", I almost pulled the trigger. but I thought, I'm going to want the new stuff so why buy the old stuff, even at 50% off? I know that there will be another sale when I do need something. In 2 years.

[just bee]

There are several purging/minimalist threads on the Home forum right now.  One asks if this new minimalism is a fad.  As the Magic 8 Ball would say, signs point to yes.

Movements in general leave me skeptical, but the kicker was the Goodwill radio ad I heard the other day.  The problem with movements is that if you're not part of one there's something wrong with you.  And you will be reminded of that non-stop.

What irked me about the ad?  The tone.  And the text.  Something along the lines of berating the radio listener for not donating that winter coat after the move to Phoenix.  It assumes that the person with the winter coat will never drive up to Prescott or Flagstaff to play in the snow.  Or return to the cold weather place he or she came from to visit family at Christmas.  It was short-sighted and snarky.  You have a coat and you're wrong to have it.  Hand it over now.

Am I being overly sensitive?  I admit, I don't respond well to being pushed.

[geezerette]

---

@just bee wrote:

There are several purging/minimalist threads on the Home forum right now.  One asks if this new minimalism is a fad.  As the Magic 8 Ball would say, signs point to yes.

Movements in general leave me skeptical, but the kicker was the Goodwill radio ad I heard the other day.  The problem with movements is that if you're not part of one there's something wrong with you.  And you will be reminded of that non-stop.

What irked me about the ad?  The tone.  And the text.  Something along the lines of berating the radio listener for not donating that winter coat after the move to Phoenix.  It assumes that the person with the winter coat will never drive up to Prescott or Flagstaff to play in the snow.  Or return to the cold weather place he or she came from to visit family at Christmas.  It was short-sighted and snarky.  You have a coat and you're wrong to have it.  Hand it over now.

Am I being overly sensitive?  I admit, I don't respond well to being pushed.

---

@just bee

I couldn’t agree more.  My mother kept her winter coat her entire life, even after she moved to the desert.  For that express purpose you state of the possibility of visiting her hometown in the middle of winter, which she did several times. 

I also hate being pushed.  My OG was my savior in resisting outside pressure, but now, they’re getting to me.  I have a heart problem that was relatively minor a year ago, but now is pretty bad.  The “experts” and friends are encouraging heavy-duty meds and/or invasive surgery.  Excuse me!  Is no one considering the fact that I have undergone a massive shock and my nerves are still shot because of it?  Or that I have a zillion and one things that need to be cleared up before I can even consider any of what you are suggesting?  Not to even mention how to recuperate by myself, or deal with this place after the fact. Or, if after time, it might subside by itself when I’m not so stressed.

I know the pressure to conform has always been with us.  It just seems like now it’s everywhere, all the time.  Maybe I’m just more susceptible to it right now.

[geezerette]

---

@Oshare-girl wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

---

---

@geezerette

@KaySD

I guess it's also incentive to get things in order.  If I haven't used an item in 20 years I really doubt I'll be using it 20 years from now.  Which, at the rate things are going, is like, next week.

---

I always round up.  Much like saying an item that is $2.95 is $3.  

Right now I’m bouncing between thinking about the next twenty (or at least ten) years and not making next week.  Trying to take care of every little detail, or just chucking everything other than what is absolutely necessary.

The “necessary” list is pretty long, though.  I have a lot of needs, even if I’m not going to be here forever.

---

@geezerette

The "necessary" list is adding up.  I've never followed a "budget" and I can't even say what I earn and what I spend on a monthly basis.  Yesterday I sat and added up my expenses for April.  The majority was state, federal and property taxes as well as tax preparation costs.  The only money I spent on me -- on "personal" items -- was for deodorant and shampoo/conditioner.  The one splurge was pizza.

I swear if I ever get a new tattoo it'll be "T.S. Eliot was right."

Definitely ready for May.

---

@geezerette

@just bee

We all need a little perspective. That's why we go through hard times.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

I too don't know how to follow or make a budget.  Taxes are depressing.  And I have become much more aware of the "must have" vs "nice to have". 

I have turned a corner. Seeing how I was able to resist the sales this time was an encouragement and good for my morale. I almost fell for it.  When Stowaway Cosmetics sent that 50% off email that said "this is the last sale ever, something new is coming", I almost pulled the trigger. but I thought, I'm going to want the new stuff so why buy the old stuff, even at 50% off? I know that there will be another sale when I do need something. In 2 years.

---

@Oshare-girl

I was watching a beauty product presentation the other day and they kept mentioning that this product was a “one and done” thing, never to be had again.  So, what happens if I buy it and actually like it?  I can’t ever get it again.  How is this supposed to encourage me to buy?🤔

[just bee]

And another thing.  I think it was @aprilskies who shared my problem of using the dining room table for storage.  When I was in school my school papers landed there.  And work papers. 

Better-half made some comments so I cleared the table and was determined to keep it clear.  Over a year ago he decided to paint.  Not the walls, but instead channel Jackson Pollock.  He invested in paints, brushes and canvasses.

I had minored in Art and always regretted dropping my Painting class.  It, was, at the time, a practical decision.  The list of supplies was staggering whereas all I needed to draw was paper and charcoal.

So... BH has had a canvas in progress on the table for over a year.  The progress actually stopped a couple weeks after it started so the painted canvas is covered with a thick layer of dust.  Every time he pointed out an unread book or an unused item of mine, I never said a word about the tabletop art studio.

Yesterday I noticed the paints and brushes were off the table.  Is he donating them?

He must have noticed that I noticed because he explained that he was gathering all the art supplies and sending them to a friend who lives in the Boston area.  A friend who paints.

I had looked up painting courses and even offered to go with him to a class.  No.  He didn't want to study painting.  He wanted to just paint.  Clearly he wasn't born with the painting gene, although our bathroom walls look pretty good.

So after a big investment and small effort, he has giving up his dream of producing art.

That's the difference.  He can flip a switch and give up on something.  But I will give him credit for telling me that he couldn't criticize me if he had all his unused cr@p on the dining room table.

The first time he tells me that he sacrificed his painting as his contribution to clearing the house I'm going to drop the Dutch oven on his head.

And speaking of painting, I asked him what he envisioned for this "cleared-out" house.  He said he wants all the walls painted white.

Our house is going to look like an old Beatles album.

[just bee]

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

There are several purging/minimalist threads on the Home forum right now.  One asks if this new minimalism is a fad.  As the Magic 8 Ball would say, signs point to yes.

Movements in general leave me skeptical, but the kicker was the Goodwill radio ad I heard the other day.  The problem with movements is that if you're not part of one there's something wrong with you.  And you will be reminded of that non-stop.

What irked me about the ad?  The tone.  And the text.  Something along the lines of berating the radio listener for not donating that winter coat after the move to Phoenix.  It assumes that the person with the winter coat will never drive up to Prescott or Flagstaff to play in the snow.  Or return to the cold weather place he or she came from to visit family at Christmas.  It was short-sighted and snarky.  You have a coat and you're wrong to have it.  Hand it over now.

Am I being overly sensitive?  I admit, I don't respond well to being pushed.

---

@just bee

I couldn’t agree more.  My mother kept her winter coat her entire life, even after she moved to the desert.  For that express purpose you state of the possibility of visiting her hometown in the middle of winter, which she did several times. 

I also hate being pushed.  My OG was my savior in resisting outside pressure, but now, they’re getting to me.  I have a heart problem that was relatively minor a year ago, but now is pretty bad.  The “experts” and friends are encouraging heavy-duty meds and/or invasive surgery.  Excuse me!  Is no one considering the fact that I have undergone a massive shock and my nerves are still shot because of it?  Or that I have a zillion and one things that need to be cleared up before I can even consider any of what you are suggesting?  Not to even mention how to recuperate by myself, or deal with this place after the fact. Or, if after time, it might subside by itself when I’m not so stressed.

I know the pressure to conform has always been with us.  It just seems like now it’s everywhere, all the time.  Maybe I’m just more susceptible to it right now.

---

@geezerette

Exactly!  Not only that, but the pressure from experts and friends will only exacerbate the problem.  I see patients every day who come to the hospital because they are simply overwhelmed.  All the pressure, worry, anxiety and stress turn into physical symptoms.

I started coughing a month ago.  At first I thought it was psychosomatic because I had spent a long time talking to a regular patient of mine who had pneumonia.  Then I thought it was a cold.  Then I entertained the idea of allergies.  Then I thought it might be dust in the house.  Then I decided it must be a reaction to mold.  Or it's lung cancer from inhaling whatever BH has been vaping.  If our windows are coated our lungs must be, too.

Have I seen a doctor?  Of course not.  I don't even have a PCP and I'm still getting bills for my broken hand.

I think a lot of it is stress-related.  Work has been crazy busy (no pun intended) and I can't relax at home because I feel like I have an urgent project to complete -- and there's an enormous emotional factor involved.

But then there's another side of this.  The majority of people I've lost that I've cared about had heart issues.  The last thing you need is stress.  The last thing I need is to hear is that you aren't well.

I'm not the biggest proponent of pharmaceuticals but sometimes a pill really does make a difference.  You can't reduce your stress if you have this condition hanging over your head like a Dutch oven.

What if you start the medication while you're addressing all the things you need to do? 

[geezerette]

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

There are several purging/minimalist threads on the Home forum right now.  One asks if this new minimalism is a fad.  As the Magic 8 Ball would say, signs point to yes.

Movements in general leave me skeptical, but the kicker was the Goodwill radio ad I heard the other day.  The problem with movements is that if you're not part of one there's something wrong with you.  And you will be reminded of that non-stop.

What irked me about the ad?  The tone.  And the text.  Something along the lines of berating the radio listener for not donating that winter coat after the move to Phoenix.  It assumes that the person with the winter coat will never drive up to Prescott or Flagstaff to play in the snow.  Or return to the cold weather place he or she came from to visit family at Christmas.  It was short-sighted and snarky.  You have a coat and you're wrong to have it.  Hand it over now.

Am I being overly sensitive?  I admit, I don't respond well to being pushed.

---

@just bee

I couldn’t agree more.  My mother kept her winter coat her entire life, even after she moved to the desert.  For that express purpose you state of the possibility of visiting her hometown in the middle of winter, which she did several times. 

I also hate being pushed.  My OG was my savior in resisting outside pressure, but now, they’re getting to me.  I have a heart problem that was relatively minor a year ago, but now is pretty bad.  The “experts” and friends are encouraging heavy-duty meds and/or invasive surgery.  Excuse me!  Is no one considering the fact that I have undergone a massive shock and my nerves are still shot because of it?  Or that I have a zillion and one things that need to be cleared up before I can even consider any of what you are suggesting?  Not to even mention how to recuperate by myself, or deal with this place after the fact. Or, if after time, it might subside by itself when I’m not so stressed.

I know the pressure to conform has always been with us.  It just seems like now it’s everywhere, all the time.  Maybe I’m just more susceptible to it right now.

---

@geezerette

Exactly!  Not only that, but the pressure from experts and friends will only exacerbate the problem.  I see patients every day who come to the hospital because they are simply overwhelmed.  All the pressure, worry, anxiety and stress turn into physical symptoms.

I started coughing a month ago.  At first I thought it was psychosomatic because I had spent a long time talking to a regular patient of mine who had pneumonia.  Then I thought it was a cold.  Then I entertained the idea of allergies.  Then I thought it might be dust in the house.  Then I decided it must be a reaction to mold.  Or it's lung cancer from inhaling whatever BH has been vaping.  If our windows are coated our lungs must be, too.

Have I seen a doctor?  Of course not.  I don't even have a PCP and I'm still getting bills for my broken hand.

I think a lot of it is stress-related.  Work has been crazy busy (no pun intended) and I can't relax at home because I feel like I have an urgent project to complete -- and there's an enormous emotional factor involved.

But then there's another side of this.  The majority of people I've lost that I've cared about had heart issues.  The last thing you need is stress.  The last thing I need is to hear is that you aren't well.

I'm not the biggest proponent of pharmaceuticals but sometimes a pill really does make a difference.  You can't reduce your stress if you have this condition hanging over your head like a Dutch oven.

What if you start the medication while you're addressing all the things you need to do? 

---

@just bee

This is me—well, except for the details about your work and personal life.

I’m a worrier.  I always have been.  I invent things to worry about because I don’t seem to be happy if my life is going smoothly.  I worry about my worrying.  Then, I wonder why I’m stressed, and worry about being stressed.  The OG never could quite understand this because he wasn’t this way, but he accepted it and over the years helped me to deal with it.  Just having him around calmed me to a certain extent.  Nobody else does this.  They just expect me to “deal with it”.  “It’s life, I don’t understand why that bothers you”, etc.

I’m not a fan of pharmaceuticals either, but the quarter-milligram tranquilizer I take every few nights helps me to at least get some sleep that night and I can deal with life better the next day.  I’ve considered the same—to try some drugs and see what happens.  Because, as you say, most of the people closest to me have passed because of heart problems.  Now I’m worried about my own heart.  Don’t misunderstand—it’s not the dying that bothers me, it’s the all the stuff that precedes that, the length of time that all takes, and not to mention the critters that I am responsible for.

I know I’m inventing my own problems.  My rational mind keeps telling my emotional mind this all the time, but it seems to be losing ground lately.  So I have decided to wait until my doctor appointment in June and see what happens then.  Of course, until then I will worry myself sick about what he is going to say...😬😄

[just bee]

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

@just bee wrote:

---

---

@geezerette

Exactly!  Not only that, but the pressure from experts and friends will only exacerbate the problem.  I see patients every day who come to the hospital because they are simply overwhelmed.  All the pressure, worry, anxiety and stress turn into physical symptoms.

I started coughing a month ago.  At first I thought it was psychosomatic because I had spent a long time talking to a regular patient of mine who had pneumonia.  Then I thought it was a cold.  Then I entertained the idea of allergies.  Then I thought it might be dust in the house.  Then I decided it must be a reaction to mold.  Or it's lung cancer from inhaling whatever BH has been vaping.  If our windows are coated our lungs must be, too.

Have I seen a doctor?  Of course not.  I don't even have a PCP and I'm still getting bills for my broken hand.

I think a lot of it is stress-related.  Work has been crazy busy (no pun intended) and I can't relax at home because I feel like I have an urgent project to complete -- and there's an enormous emotional factor involved.

But then there's another side of this.  The majority of people I've lost that I've cared about had heart issues.  The last thing you need is stress.  The last thing I need is to hear is that you aren't well.

I'm not the biggest proponent of pharmaceuticals but sometimes a pill really does make a difference.  You can't reduce your stress if you have this condition hanging over your head like a Dutch oven.

What if you start the medication while you're addressing all the things you need to do? 

---

@just bee

This is me—well, except for the details about your work and personal life.

I’m a worrier.  I always have been.  I invent things to worry about because I don’t seem to be happy if my life is going smoothly.  I worry about my worrying.  Then, I wonder why I’m stressed, and worry about being stressed.  The OG never could quite understand this because he wasn’t this way, but he accepted it and over the years helped me to deal with it.  Just having him around calmed me to a certain extent.  Nobody else does this.  They just expect me to “deal with it”.  “It’s life, I don’t understand why that bothers you”, etc.

I’m not a fan of pharmaceuticals either, but the quarter-milligram tranquilizer I take every few nights helps me to at least get some sleep that night and I can deal with life better the next day.  I’ve considered the same—to try some drugs and see what happens.  Because, as you say, most of the people closest to me have passed because of heart problems.  Now I’m worried about my own heart.  Don’t misunderstand—it’s not the dying that bothers me, it’s the all the stuff that precedes that, the length of time that all takes, and not to mention the critters that I am responsible for.

I know I’m inventing my own problems.  My rational mind keeps telling my emotional mind this all the time, but it seems to be losing ground lately.  So I have decided to wait until my doctor appointment in June and see what happens then.  Of course, until then I will worry myself sick about what he is going to say...😬😄

---

@geezerette

Ditto.  I feel the extra pressure because I'm the one who worries and feels responsible for everything and everybody.  BH is the opposite.

His truck is dying and he's not worried.  I'm worried.  I'm worried that it's going to die in traffic on the way to the mechanic.  That's why I told him that he can't take it in unless it's my day off and I'm in my car following in case the truck dies en route resulting in a fiery five-car pileup.

I'm not a pessimist.  In fact, I'm an optimist.  I believe that anything is possible.  It's just that I believe it's probably going to be the worst thing.