Moving In, Moving Out

It is the season for moving and that is as good as time as any to clean out some areas, because you can ALWAYS get rid of stuff you don't need. Here's the right way to do it.  You will need 3 bags. One bag is for trash, one is for giving away and one is for what you will be keeping.

 

The next step is to identify a room or area you desire to reorganize, clean out, etc. Start small so you do not overwhelm yourself.

A good small start would be this corner shelf area.

This is another corner shelf that needs attention

Also the bathroom gets crowded so quickly, so add that to the list.  Now that we have some areas to tackle, it is important to be in the right mood to get rid of stuff.  If you are not already, you can watch an episode of the show Hoarders. That will do it. So start throwing stuff away and giving it away by asking yourself the question: "What would I do if I didn't have this?"

This is really effective especially when you come across things you didn't know you had.

 Do not be discouraged, when you are getting organized you will have a bigger mess for awhile.

 

Proof that it pays to get organized, I found a $5 bill! A Christmas present I put in a weird place.

 

 

Now the end result. How satisfying.

I was able to empty the right side of the bathroom sink completely.

 

And changed how things are stacked in the corner shelf.

 

Anyone Read Hie-ro-glyph-ics?

Anyone?

We met some folks that felt compelled to give us a gift which they had picked up while in Egypt (yeah, not making that up). Brilliant colors and on papyrus. That's all I can tell you about it. I wasn't sure about asking them if they knew what it said. Pretty sure they did not speak Egyptian.  But maybe someone out there does?

I would want to know what it says before framing it and mounting it on a wall right?

 

The Truth Hurts

Banjo Lesson #11 Flailing the Hands

In order to play really really fast, you have to master the correct way to frail by using your hand to literally claw at the banjo strings which feels as out of control as it sounds.  After all this time I have still not mastered this technique.  So each lesson we spend some time practicing different strategies, 

1. Waving bye-bye like toddlers do.
2. Winding the wrist back and letting it fall on the banjo.
3. Flailing my right hand as if I have more than a few loose screws...I tell my teacher, I am going to be doing this all the time now.

"I can tell people they can't make fun of me because I'm actually learning how to play the banjo."

My teacher says, "No, after you tell them that, then they will make fun of you."

Cleaning out the Fishtank...For the Last Time

So when all the fish die, and you don't want to buy more. It's time to give away the fish tank. Not in it's current condition, so here' how to clean it out completely.

Gather the fishtank vaccum to reduce the water to 1/2 level. Using gravity to Drain the dirty water into a bucket.

Until your bucket is full of water.

Take it to the dump.

No, this kind of dump.

The next step is to scrub the sides with the tank scrubber to remove the calcium deposits and algae growth.

The brush needs to be wet and kept wet to keep from scratching the glass.

Scoop out the gravel. It might have another purpose.

6 square inches of mulch?

Remove the plants. If they're super nasty, they're not worth keeping.

Now all that's left is some serious calcium deposits near the top.

Yuck.

Tough jobs call for tough stuff like bleach or vinegar. Since the smell of bleach makes me gag, I chose vinegar.

45 minutes later...Better, but not gone. I think it's good enough for a garage sale.
 $1 in my pocket.

Burning a Ring of Fire

Every other now and then life requires the extraordinary out of us...Like when you need to burn a field full of weeds. So here's some free advice on how to do just that.

 

*Notice this is not a timely post as you should do this in the spring.

 

Dress appropriately. I used my Master C Snowboots, because they have rubber soles so they're not flammable...I think...

The list of tools required is surprisingly short and primitive. You need a rake to spread the fire where you want it to go and a shovel to smother it in places you don't want it.

 

You will also need a waterhose and fill a weed sprayer with water to wet any trees you want to keep and along the path you want the fire to stop at. A great tip would be to mow around the area you want to burn, so you remember where you want to burn.

 

It also gives you a walking path for your fire team. Also good to have a path for the water hose, just in case it gets out of control. I mean we are talking about controlling one of the most powerful natural forces on earth.

To get it started, you spread it against the wind (just like the song) not with it (recipe for disaster).

Here is a visual example of how to spread the flames using the rake. Dry grass is gathered into the rake. The rake is put into the flames briefly, then the burning grass remaining on the rake is dropped onto the grass about a foot in front of the current line of fire.

Thus leading the fire where you want it to go.

 

Go Fire Go!

Whoa, fire whoa....When it reaches 1/2 across the field you are burning, you start the fire on the side with the wind and the fires meet in the middle at the speed of...fire.

We did use the hose. We did use the shovel for lots of smothering and for a field mouse. SMACK! Oh, yuck. We got 'em.

The field burning crew minus 2.

The product of our success. It looks better when the green grass starts growing on the black soil.

Nelson Gets a Bus Pass

With the rising cost of gasoline, I decided it was time to get a bus pass. After all we have a city bus system why not use my sales tax dollars responsibly?

 First step, put on some sunscreen, comfortable shoes and bright clothing. There will be sun exposure because you will still be doing some walking. Public transportation is not a taxi service. They do not revolve around your errands.

The bright clothing is so that if you are hit by a car or bike, they can't say they didn't see you.

Secondly, locate the nearest bus stop. In my town, they claim that most residents are within 1/2 mile walking distance of a bus stop. Not too shabby.

 

While waiting for the bus, you can study the map. Familiarize yourself with which bus routes stop at that point and at which times. This info can be found online. You can also find a number to call for help with trip planning--very convenient for the directionally challenged.

Some bus stops include a shelter. Get outta the rain!

 Rules: once on the bus, there is no sleeping, drinking or eating allowed...Yes, that's a disappointment, but understood.  Before your stop you pull on the cord overhead to let the driver know he/she needs to stop and drop you off.

 

 You may conquer your fear of heights as a bonus, since you may need to walk from the nearest bus stop to your destination. Keep in mind that jay-walking is illegal.

On my maiden voyage, it took 1 hour to reach my destination...Which raised some critical questions because my chosen destination was about 2 miles from my house. . .  After finishing my errand I decided to walk home, rather than wait 15 minutes for the bus to come back. That only took about 30 minutes. . . Driving myself would have taken 6 minutes. Which I actually had to do because the screwdriver I purchased was the wrong size.

So moral of the story is. . . I should try again with a destination not so near my house. That would make it worth my time, right?

 Afterwards, I spent some time studying the bus route and maps. This proved helpful because I realized the route nearest my house only comes to the same place each hour. Some other routes are shorter and more efficient by returning to the same place every 40 minutes. So if I drove to a different bus stop and parked. . .

  I have a bus pass, but I may not be using it as often as I first thought...

Super Sloppy Joes

Sometimes, sloppy Joes is the only thing the sounds good.  Let me rephrase, sometimes super sloppy Joes are the only thing that sound good because my cafeteria lady's sloppy joes left me dissatisfied. This is a great one because the average person who eats food will have all the ingredients on hand.  So I will let you in on the secret. Partly because I was too late for it to get published in a cookbook and partly because I like to share a good thing when I find it.

 To start you need to gather your ingredients:

Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Salsa (two nearly empty jars both = salsa) mustard and 1 lb. Hamburger--already browned with green peppers and onions.

I usually multitask when cooking. This time I was working on my dance moves, so I decided to mix the sauces first. 1 Cup ketchup, 1/2 C. Salsa

Smaller portions now: 1 Tb. mustard, maybe it calls for 2?

1Tb. BBQ sauce

Yep that bottle was nearly empty and exploded after shaken.

Clean as you go!  BBQ sauce is sticky!!

Now add the meatiness and go stir crazy.

And stir while on low. Only let it simmer for a short time. It just needs to be warmed but the longer it sits being warmed the better I think it tastes.

Especially on toasted buns. Better than the cafeteria ladies for sure...