It's been a long day, and I'm beat tonight, but I got a lot done. I worked on laundry and sorting clothes to donated, and I made a good dent in the overall amount. I did 10 loads or so today, but I think I still have at least 20 more to go. At least it's all sorted now, so it won't be too hard to grab a load and get it started.
Thankfully, I woke up early enough that all but 1 load of clothes could hang on the line to dry. The others I hung in the laundry room, since it was raining so hard outside. And although I love the smell of sun dried towels, I also dried a couple of loads in the dryer. They were just too heavy to haul up the stairs and outside to hang. I was very glad we were able to get all the clothes in before the first sprinkles started. Even though the rain doesn't hurt the clothes and helps the wonderfully fresh smell permeate the fabric, it does stir up the mud and that also permeates the fabric. That's a bit harder to get out.
I am hoping to finish the laundry a few loads at a time as I'm recovering from surgery. I go in tomorrow. I'm not expecting any problems, but I am fairly certain I'll be on lifting restrictions for awhile. Hopefully, it won't be too long, and Hopper can be my little lifter and help me out from time to time, if I can't do it. Otherwise, the laundry has waited this many years...another week or so shouldn't make too big a difference. Plus, I will never, ever have to deal with the majority of these clothes ever again, since they're being donated. I love the thought of that!
I am ready to be through this surgery, so I can keep going with the dehoarding. I don't want to lose too much momentum. I've been making such headway lately that it's a real concern. Then again, I've been making so much headway that I'm tired. I'm looking forward to the couple days of rest I'll be getting. They may be drug induced days of rest, but at this point they still sound good.
Speaking of rest...
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Today, I was my mother.
Before Hubster and I left on our date the other night, Bugster used our upright vacuum cleaner for a split second. She remarked that she must be really spoiled by her really good vacuum, because she would hate to have mine. It had no suction at the time. I noted that the bag probably just needed changed, and I added it to my mental list of things to do.
I knew it had to have been close to full, because we've used it repeatedly to clean up the sawdust in the basement. We've cut a lot of wood downstairs since the flood last Spring, and a lot of sawed wood equals a large amount of sawdust. I wasn't concerned. After all. It was just a bag change.
So yesterday afternoon, I grabbed a new vacuum cleaner bag, headed to the basement, and opened the vacuum to change it out. I was shocked and horrified when I opened the vacuum cleaner up. There, on top of the HEPA filter was a good 4" of sawdust, carpet fibers and dirt. I'm not sure which of us took the old bag out when it was changed last, but whomever it was forgot to replace it. No wonder my poor vacuum cleaner had no suction!
So, I grabbed the canister vac and cleaned it out the best I could. It then went upstairs by the back door until I could get to it after my appointment this morning. Once I got home, I changed into work clothes, donned a face mask, and fired up the air compressor. It was one messy job!
Even though I'd vacuumed so much of the dirt, dust and sawdust out, there was a solid cloud of brown when I started blowing the thing out with the air hose. I took out all 3 HEPA filters and blew them out to the best of my ability. I used the air compressor on each one for a minimum of 5 minutes each. I waited until there was no visible dust cloud emanating from the filters.
I then took apart every inch of the vacuum that I could get to with the tools I had on hand. I figured it was wise to clean it as thoroughly as possible, because we'd let Bugster use it when she moved into her apartment. For a year it was used to suck up dog hair, dog dander, and hamster, rabbit and gerbil fuzz, none of which is good for my breathing. I wanted to get every single bit of gunk I could out of that vacuum!
Then I washed everything that I could possibly get to, although I'd have been able to have reached more, if I'd had a toothbrush. While it doesn't look new, because it has paint scraped on it where it got a little too close to walls, it looks so much better. And best of all, the suction is back on par, so we won't need to buy a new machine.
I know I could have taken it down to a vacuum shop for them to service, but I also knew I could do it on my own. Mom taught me that. She taught me when I was little not to be intimidated by appliances. That I had the brain to figure out what to do on my own. She taught me that I could rewire lamps or vacuum cleaners or toasters. That I could fix them, too. And that just because I was a girl didn't mean my place was in the kitchen. It could be in the workshop, too.
I can't tell you the number of times we tore the vacuum apart, or the sewing machine, or the fan and got them working again. I watched my mom rewire all sorts of things, and I remember always being so proud of her. I still am.
I'm so very thankful that my vacuum is working again like it should. And thankful beyond words that Mom gave me the confidence to tackle things like this on my own.
I knew it had to have been close to full, because we've used it repeatedly to clean up the sawdust in the basement. We've cut a lot of wood downstairs since the flood last Spring, and a lot of sawed wood equals a large amount of sawdust. I wasn't concerned. After all. It was just a bag change.
So yesterday afternoon, I grabbed a new vacuum cleaner bag, headed to the basement, and opened the vacuum to change it out. I was shocked and horrified when I opened the vacuum cleaner up. There, on top of the HEPA filter was a good 4" of sawdust, carpet fibers and dirt. I'm not sure which of us took the old bag out when it was changed last, but whomever it was forgot to replace it. No wonder my poor vacuum cleaner had no suction!
So, I grabbed the canister vac and cleaned it out the best I could. It then went upstairs by the back door until I could get to it after my appointment this morning. Once I got home, I changed into work clothes, donned a face mask, and fired up the air compressor. It was one messy job!
Even though I'd vacuumed so much of the dirt, dust and sawdust out, there was a solid cloud of brown when I started blowing the thing out with the air hose. I took out all 3 HEPA filters and blew them out to the best of my ability. I used the air compressor on each one for a minimum of 5 minutes each. I waited until there was no visible dust cloud emanating from the filters.
I then took apart every inch of the vacuum that I could get to with the tools I had on hand. I figured it was wise to clean it as thoroughly as possible, because we'd let Bugster use it when she moved into her apartment. For a year it was used to suck up dog hair, dog dander, and hamster, rabbit and gerbil fuzz, none of which is good for my breathing. I wanted to get every single bit of gunk I could out of that vacuum!
Then I washed everything that I could possibly get to, although I'd have been able to have reached more, if I'd had a toothbrush. While it doesn't look new, because it has paint scraped on it where it got a little too close to walls, it looks so much better. And best of all, the suction is back on par, so we won't need to buy a new machine.
I know I could have taken it down to a vacuum shop for them to service, but I also knew I could do it on my own. Mom taught me that. She taught me when I was little not to be intimidated by appliances. That I had the brain to figure out what to do on my own. She taught me that I could rewire lamps or vacuum cleaners or toasters. That I could fix them, too. And that just because I was a girl didn't mean my place was in the kitchen. It could be in the workshop, too.
I can't tell you the number of times we tore the vacuum apart, or the sewing machine, or the fan and got them working again. I watched my mom rewire all sorts of things, and I remember always being so proud of her. I still am.
I'm so very thankful that my vacuum is working again like it should. And thankful beyond words that Mom gave me the confidence to tackle things like this on my own.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A nice little break.
Hubster and I went out on a date for the first time in months last night. Bugster watched Hopper and Scooter, so we could go out and relax and also agreed to guest blog for me. I can't tell you how incredibly grateful I am for her help! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and it was just nice to be away from everything else. I'm glad we had the time with one another, because it will be several months before we get that time again. We just need a break from reality from time to time.
I started a major project when I woke up yesterday, and it was hard to leave it for the time we were gone for fear of losing momentum. It's been years and years in the making, but it switched locations last year when the basement flooded. I'm talking about...laundry. Not just ordinary laundry. I'm talking years and years of laundry that's built up. Well. Sort of.
I have a tendency towards perfectionism. A strong leaning, even. I think it comes partly from hearing, "If you can't do it right, don't do it at all!" when I was growing up. That has been my personal mantra on so very many occasions. It's why I don't take on something new until I can see the outcome in my mind. It's why I obsess about pinatas before I make them, why I fluff our clothes in the dryer before hanging them to dry, and why I am in the mess I'm in. It's why I don't do a lot of things, and it can be maddening.
This particular project I started at least 8 to 9 years ago was laundry, but not just your everyday garden variety of laundry. This was the sort-each-piece-of-laundry-and-make-sure-it's-clean-before-packing-it-up-to-donate-or-save-but-it-must-all-be-clean-before-sorting-may-begin-kind-of-laundry. I cannot tell you how many times I have started this laundry over the years. I've washed it only to forget about it and be frustrated to find it covered in dust and have to be washed again. But this is the last time.
Hopper's bedroom became a catchall when the basement was flooded last year. For some reason, the people who packed things up and took them out to the storage pod when they were cleaning put all these baskets of laundry in Hopper's room. I'm thankful in many ways. At least they're not sitting out in the heat of the pod cooking in stains and odors, but it also means I need to take on the task of finishing it up, so Hopper can get back into her bedroom, or I have to move it again. I voted for option 1.
So I brought all of the baskets and boxes of clothes out of Hopper's room and began to sort them Saturday morning. There were 5 of the 18 gallon totes (like the ones I emptied on the porch the other day), 3 large laundry baskets of clothes, and 2 boxes. I know. It was as lot. I'm not sure why I was even surprised at the amount, but I was. Anyway, I got busy sorting, washing, and hanging the clothes out to dry on the line.
Thankfully, only some of them needed washed. About half. And most of those are still waiting for me to wash them, dry them, fold them and put them in their proper places whether the proper place is the trash, the donation pile, or the save box. It's going to take a few days, but if the weather holds up, and we don't get too much rain, I'll be able to get most of them done tomorrow and will hopefully be finished up on Tuesday.
I already sorted the ones that didn't need washed. Right now, we have right at 20 grocery bags stuffed and ready to be donated. They just need to be loaded in the car and dropped off. I figured I'll wait until the rest of the clothes are ready before loading the car, but I'm very much looking forward to getting them out of my house!
One thing that's obvious about the clothes is that they have dog dander on them. I've been sneezing and wheezing the entire time I've been working on them. I know part of the sneezing and wheezing has to do with the brilliant move one of the workers who helped clean out the basement after the flood made. They put some wet clothes in a black plastic bag, put more stuff on top of the bag, so the clothes had no way to breathe and actually dry out and no choice but to grow mold and mildew in cosmic proportions, and then put it in the bedroom. I found it yesterday.
Yeah. So *that* was a fun discovery. I'm just hoping it doesn't prevent me from going in for my surgery this week. I'd rather just get the procedure over with, but I'm not sure, if the doctor will be comfortable putting me under with my asthma acting up. I'll be taking Bendadryl again tonight before heading off to bed. I'm hoping it might help the situation.
Oh! I almost forgot! That huge bag of clothes from the porch as well as the bag of shoes? Listing them on Craigslist was the perfect answer.
They're in their new homes.
They're no longer my problem.
Best of all?
They're no longer here!
Victory, I say! Victory!
I started a major project when I woke up yesterday, and it was hard to leave it for the time we were gone for fear of losing momentum. It's been years and years in the making, but it switched locations last year when the basement flooded. I'm talking about...laundry. Not just ordinary laundry. I'm talking years and years of laundry that's built up. Well. Sort of.
I have a tendency towards perfectionism. A strong leaning, even. I think it comes partly from hearing, "If you can't do it right, don't do it at all!" when I was growing up. That has been my personal mantra on so very many occasions. It's why I don't take on something new until I can see the outcome in my mind. It's why I obsess about pinatas before I make them, why I fluff our clothes in the dryer before hanging them to dry, and why I am in the mess I'm in. It's why I don't do a lot of things, and it can be maddening.
This particular project I started at least 8 to 9 years ago was laundry, but not just your everyday garden variety of laundry. This was the sort-each-piece-of-laundry-and-make-sure-it's-clean-before-packing-it-up-to-donate-or-save-but-it-must-all-be-clean-before-sorting-may-begin-kind-of-laundry. I cannot tell you how many times I have started this laundry over the years. I've washed it only to forget about it and be frustrated to find it covered in dust and have to be washed again. But this is the last time.
Hopper's bedroom became a catchall when the basement was flooded last year. For some reason, the people who packed things up and took them out to the storage pod when they were cleaning put all these baskets of laundry in Hopper's room. I'm thankful in many ways. At least they're not sitting out in the heat of the pod cooking in stains and odors, but it also means I need to take on the task of finishing it up, so Hopper can get back into her bedroom, or I have to move it again. I voted for option 1.
So I brought all of the baskets and boxes of clothes out of Hopper's room and began to sort them Saturday morning. There were 5 of the 18 gallon totes (like the ones I emptied on the porch the other day), 3 large laundry baskets of clothes, and 2 boxes. I know. It was as lot. I'm not sure why I was even surprised at the amount, but I was. Anyway, I got busy sorting, washing, and hanging the clothes out to dry on the line.
Thankfully, only some of them needed washed. About half. And most of those are still waiting for me to wash them, dry them, fold them and put them in their proper places whether the proper place is the trash, the donation pile, or the save box. It's going to take a few days, but if the weather holds up, and we don't get too much rain, I'll be able to get most of them done tomorrow and will hopefully be finished up on Tuesday.
I already sorted the ones that didn't need washed. Right now, we have right at 20 grocery bags stuffed and ready to be donated. They just need to be loaded in the car and dropped off. I figured I'll wait until the rest of the clothes are ready before loading the car, but I'm very much looking forward to getting them out of my house!
One thing that's obvious about the clothes is that they have dog dander on them. I've been sneezing and wheezing the entire time I've been working on them. I know part of the sneezing and wheezing has to do with the brilliant move one of the workers who helped clean out the basement after the flood made. They put some wet clothes in a black plastic bag, put more stuff on top of the bag, so the clothes had no way to breathe and actually dry out and no choice but to grow mold and mildew in cosmic proportions, and then put it in the bedroom. I found it yesterday.
Yeah. So *that* was a fun discovery. I'm just hoping it doesn't prevent me from going in for my surgery this week. I'd rather just get the procedure over with, but I'm not sure, if the doctor will be comfortable putting me under with my asthma acting up. I'll be taking Bendadryl again tonight before heading off to bed. I'm hoping it might help the situation.
Oh! I almost forgot! That huge bag of clothes from the porch as well as the bag of shoes? Listing them on Craigslist was the perfect answer.
They're in their new homes.
They're no longer my problem.
Best of all?
They're no longer here!
Victory, I say! Victory!
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