Downsizing: Two Stories

SUMMARY: It's hard. But not as hard as it could be.

I've known about Manzanar for decades. Still haven't been (twice due to weather issues on my route--once, snow; once, heat--to give you a rough idea about the weather extremes residents there would've experienced).

Currently I'm trying to downsize my possessions before moving, hopefully to a smaller house. My stated goal is to get rid of half of everything. I struggle daily with which books to keep, which to give away. Or clothing. Or kitchen, cooking, baking items. Or furniture. Or personal mementos of family or trips or experiences. Or photo albums (I have dozens--mine and my parents').  Mentioned to a friend a couple of hours ago how stressful it is, making so many decisions day after day.

And now I just watched this. 

If you have the time, it's beautifully produced, sensitive,
upbeat in a way, understanding of how they lived
and made lives as best they could and  respectful of the challenges. 
While being reminded of what they--and we as a country--lost.

If you can't see the video here, then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=araQR50tVjI

The comparison to my downsize challenges is agonizing. Two suitcases.

Wooden things in the kitchen

SUMMARY: Keep? Give Away? At least sometimes dust?

sparked by a discussion on FB: May 23,2021

I have a few wooden spoons of different sizes. I cannot remember the last time I used any of them. Of course, I haven’t done any real baking in years, either. Just mixing eggs and water into mixes and such. For which you don’t care about what kind of spoon you use. 

At least, I don't. Except I prefer things that can go into the dishwasher.

I also have a wooden meat pounder, which I don’t think I have ever used! --hmmm-- Just now I can think of a couple of uses for it that could’ve been handy through the years! And they've been right in front of me on the counter the whole time.

And wooden spatulas. Don't recall ever using those at all.

And a wooden fork?!

And OMG what is that big wedgy thing with a hole in it?

Fascinating to be reminded of things that are right in front of me all the time and I have stopped seeing. 

What do you have in your wallet kitchen?  Anything that your brain has stopped acknowledging? Anything of wood?

Forever in Blue Jeans

SUMMARY: I'm Zorro's Blue Jean Baby

From -- of course--Facebook. My post of April 24 '21 and my followup comments on April 25-26.

Downsizing/Disencumbering Continues. And body and body image and, yes, blue jeans! 

You need to know that I practically live in blue jeans.   Yes, it's true: 16/7/365.   (I don't actually sleep in them. Normally.)

Except--maybe?-- during the pandemic?

Except--maybe--after having Total Joint Replacement surgery?  OK, no, jeans would not work for the swelling, the bandages, the icing, the exercises, constantly getting into and out of bed... so I mostly wore leggings in and out of bed for a few weeks.

So: We arrive at April 24, 2021.

This morning, this section of shelf held 12 pairs of Levi’s that would undoubtedly “fit me again someday." It’s not just my weight, which is close to reasonable. No, it's other stuff. For example, there were several pairs of long -sized ones, which were barely short enough for me several years ago, and now are ridiculous.

Tried them all on this morning, found one that fit today. (Proving my hypothesis that at some point in the future any of them might fit!) But I overcame my don’t - get - rid - of - it Mentality and easily took them off to Plato’s Closet to see whether they would buy any. They did! I’m now $24 richer! And have 5 fewer pairs to dispose of in other ways.

—————

April 25: Follow up to the original: within an hour after I had posted six pairs for free on NextDoor, I had not only promised them off to people, but I had also promised three pairs that were in my rag/ recycling bag because the woman uses them to make rugs from all the denim! Score! So, really, 15 pairs to better homes!

—————

April 26: Oh, for.... !!!

Remembered that I had another place for storing jeans, and now I have 5 more pairs to try on and then [probably] dispose of. 

—————

Discussion on April 26.

The thing that gets to me is that the big stack mostly contained the "I *will* get back to my goal weight and keep it off." So, periodically, I'd get back to my goal weight and keep it off for a while. And many of the jeans would fit. But, then, gained some pounds, took a while to get back down-- But, suddenly, those jeans no longer fit!

Side note: I have never again been anywhere near my top weight from way back. Thank goodness for that! But, you know, 10 lbs or sometimes even 5 makes a difference...

So it's not the weight, per se. I am also (as of a couple of weeks ago at Kaiser), 4.5 inches shorter than I know I was when I moved to this house, and probably was for a long time thereafter. (I *know* that I had started to shrink 5-6 years ago when 2 friends who didn't know each other and in different contexts said, "are you shorter than me now?!" So I had a nurse measure my height--at the time, in a different department, so it didn't make it into my record, but it was something like 2 inches off. I was horrified. I had no idea.

(Becauuuuuuussse decreasing constantly now.)

But my old goal weight at the new height means that there's now too much weight in the wrong areas and I need a new goal weight. And, even then, not certain that most of those would fit any more. Because: Less muscle mass, and fat takes up more space for the same body weight. 🙁

Friend replied:  ah bummer. I had wondered if the BMI is based on shrinking size and then decreasing weight goals over time. Sigh...that is soooo wrong. Now I know.

Well--it mostly works. But it also depends on where one's body stores the--er--extra. Back in the couple of years in the '80s when I weighed over 180 (it was awful--by comparison, my goal weight has been 142 for around 30 years), it seemed to be distributed everywhere, and more in my arms and butt. Now most of it seems to be around my middle while the rest of me is ... kinda ok. BMI supposedly takes that into account ("fat around your belly is bad") as people age because that's a common thing even if you're not overweight. But it never *asks* for things like that.

Anyway, so, add that to DOWNSIZING, and I've decided to stop storing them. Yay me.

Downsizing: Agility Equipment

SUMMARY: A-frame and Chute are free to good homes, maybe triple jump, maybe more, hard decisions 
(scroll down to "What am I not planning on taking with me when I move?")

Ooops, thought I posted this on Friday (the 16th). Guess I'm posting it now, and just backdating it.)

When I bought my current home, nearly 2 decades ago, my Agility Gung-ho-ness expressed itself dramatically by taking my money. And I don't mean classes or competitions or travel (although those were also true). I mean: Equipment! Full set! Here in my yard! To train fabulous world-class agility champions!

... we didn't get to world-class because I'm honestly too lazy to be that dedicated to training and improving our skills.  But it did help in achieving speed, accuracy, and championships of various sorts and quantities for Remington, Jake, Tika, and Boost.

What I had before moving here

• A teeter, gift of my then-husband less than a year before we split up.  It's not that he wasn't usually a kind and thoughtful guy, because he was. But--life happens. (1998, $400)

• A tunnel, a short 10-foot yellow one for which my agility instructor arranged group pricing, for her students and other agility folks. (1996, $100)

• Cheap weave poles, as in, I bought white stick-in-the-ground fence posts and tried using them (the little tabs all the way up them, however, were not an ideal surface).

• Cheap weave poles #2, as in, I bought a long metal strip from Home Depot and drilled holes in it and used very long bolts over which I dropped PVC piping of the correct size for agility. BUT turns out that that solid-seeming metal strip became astonishingly flexible when dogs raced through the poles.

• Cheap PVC jumps that I made using PVC for the bases and uprights, drilled holes through them, put a longish bolt through the holes, forming places on which to balance the crossbars.  This didn't work well for several reasons (e.g., in one direction, if the dog crashed the bar, the whole jump came down).

• Tire jump, made with an actual motorcycle tire and heavy-duty huge PVC frame and base.

What I splurged on in 2001/2002

• Table: Wood top with PVC base--to change heights, had to change out the PVC legs, which wasn't speedy, but it was lightweight. (2001, $100)
• Weaves: purple powder-coat w/adjustable offsets (screw in pole supports), 20" spacing, 2 folding 6-foot sections for easy transport (2001, $197)
• A-Frame:  From Duncan at Action K-9, one of the earlier makers of high-quality sturdy competition equipment. (2002, $865)
• Broad jump: 5-pc metal and wood, (2 short, 2 medium, one tall), flat tops --all of which made this obsolete for at least USDAA and CPE several years later, if it wasn't already that way because I think it was designed for AKC purposes. (2002, $174)
• Dogwalk: See Aframe. (2002, $752)
• Jumps!: Finally. Four official metal-frame with screw-on metal jump cups (2002, $170 total)
• Teeter base, adjustable height, heavy-duty metal base: Also Action K-9 (2002, $2.75)
• Tunnel: 20' heavy-duty double-walled teal & gray with 4" pitch--totally competition level. (2002, $360)
• Chute (aka closed tunnel): Competition quality plastic barrel with metal stand, 8' blue/purple/white sexy chute fabric! (2002, $251)
• Triple jump, whooo, big time! Purple powder-coated metal, 2 pieces (2002, $127.50)
• PVC for jump bars -- as needed, bought fancy tape and shelf paper to decorate them all with, ditto for the weaves. (Ongoing--minor costs)

Over time, added more jumps, more tunnels; retired jumps and tunnels as they rusted or wore out in the sun, replaced the table top once. The screw threads in my weaves rusted away, so that was useless, so replaced once with someone's no-longer-using 20" spaced official weaves, also eventually had issues, so replaced with someone's no-longer-using 22" spaced official weaves (of course at that time, USDAA had moved to 24" spaced weaves, so really they were no longer official). Resurfaced the teeter. A friend borrowed and resurfaced some of the Aframe.

What am I not planning on taking with me when I move?

• Aframe: Just too heavy for me these days. I haven't used it in several years, plus there is an important bit of damage that I can't fix myself. AND it's the old style textured surface, where now everyone uses rubberized. And it needs one critical bit of work.

• Chute: No one will want this, probably: All agility organizations canned them a couple of years back. Such a crowd pleaser (and I loved watching it), but they added too much time on the course (adjusting the fabric before each dog), and posed a risk to dogs who got tangled which BTW I also thought was unfair because that often added time to the dog's run and, really, there's only so much you can control with a fast dog through a floppy piece of fabric.  I ended up never using it except with each new/young dog or as a refresher once a year or so. So it's in excellent condition.

• Triple Jump: Sigh. Lovely purple thang. I think no organizations do this any more, either.

• Dogwalk: Erk. At the moment, I *am* planning on taking it, but it needs some rehab and repainting and it's the sort of equipment that (because of its weight) I'd likely just set up in one place and leave it there, which reduces a bit its usefulness for anything beyond the contacts themselves (complex sequencing with the walk in the same place always is a little predictable for the dogs...)  Still pondering. (And ditto on the rubberizing like the A-frame.)  

And... really... how much agility training will I ever want or be able to do in the future?  It is just a FUN thing, though!

What I AM planning on taking

• Jumps that are in reasonably good condition. This is maybe only half a dozen...

• Tunnels that are in reasonably good condition.  This might be only one or two... [frowny face]

• Table (... oh, and the tabletop needs cleaning and repainting)

• Teeter with both bases

• Tire jump--TBD?   Dunno--that motorcycle tire is heavy and needs to be retaped and is definitely not competition legal, and the big-old-PVC frame is broken in 2 places (works Oooookayyyyy just in the yard for basic use) that would require sawing and buying more pieces and measuring fit and gluing...  ugh. But the PVC is lighter than metal frames...   
  
  ... oh, also much cheaper, so I could build myself another one for not much other than time and effort. But how much would a real one cost me? Checking online--from inexpensive PVC-framed (but looks better made than mine) or used ones (quality TBD) to top-quality competition: $150 to $625 [really, J&J?!?!? REALLY?! -- I mean, Clean Run has one for $350-$525...]

• OK, tire jump NOT TBD, just talked myself out of taking it.

• Weaves. Even if they are only 22" span.

• Broad jump. I guess. It's not standard by far any more... but it's what I have and would probably work for basic training.

• PVC jump bumps for training (look up Susan Salo jump bumps).

• Tunnel bags - I have only 2 good pairs right now, and they fold flat once the sand/gravel is removed. ;-)

• Misc small other random stuff

Gallery of equipment fame and shame

Dogwalk when only a few years old. Glory days.

Dogwalk is about 30' long. 

Dogwalk needs... um... TLC?

A-frame in its younger age.

A-frame in my back yard. (Go straight across to the right from the green arrow.)
Takes up a lot of visual space and all in one large chunk. 

Aframe now. Mostly usable condition.

But this is a problem (bent pipe).

My teeter gets a lot of unauthorized use.

Why teeter needed resurfacing 10 years back. Replaced with fiberglass.
Currently, the metal parts are rusting and some of those surfaces are peeling away.
But I think it'll be OK.

Old tire parts I dragged out from behind the compost bins. Needs work.
But OK for occasional gentle use at the moment.

When expensive metal jump bases rust away... out they go.

Same model chute as mine. Beautiful colors! Mine has no duct tape.

When tunnels (purple) and tunnel bags (teal) are new and beautiful.

When Good Tunnels Go Bad...
and should really have been disposed of much earlier.

This is what USDAA broad jumps should look like.
Mine are flat across the top and form an upside down arc
instead of an ascending format.

My current weaves (except I've removed all the colored tape).
Weaves also take up a lot of space: 12 poles with 22" between.
(And modern poles have 24" between. So, yep, 22 feet long.)

Previous weaves. The pegs had screw bases so they could be put in line as usual
or you could move them out onto the tab to one side or the other for training.
Those little screw bases' threads rusted away, sometimes the entire screw base.

Tika demonstrates an unauthorized use of weave poles. 
Rules prohibit dogs from lying on their sides and
pulling themselves along the weaves by hooking paws over the poles. 
Such a rebel.

Sew what!

SUMMARY: Once upon a time, I did just that.

Starting from a comment I made on Facebook, Feb 21, '21

A friend on Facebook bought a poorly fitting t-shirt, tailored it, and changed the sleeve style.  It looks great! Dang it, a couple of shirts that I bought 2 years ago I did so specifically thinking I'd make a go at tailoring (which I've never done), but-- haven't so far.  She offered to point me to some good information if I wanted to pursue it. 

I am not actually, really, seriously interested in doing that. Have started to think, "I have money. Other people can sew." Even though I have only very recently given away the fabric and clothing patterns that I bought when I was doing that back in the early '80s--I had never actually got around to finishing them. Crazy, right? So those traveled with me to 5 homes of various durations, and finally I realized, nope, that part of my life is done.

I'm a little slow on these realizations.

Patterns that I either used or didn't.

I had made some clothing up to that sudden cease. Simple tennis outfit that I wore a lot, wedding dress that was not simple and that I wore once 👀. 

Made the tennis dress on the right using light blue fabric and dark blue trim
 (and matching hidden shorts).

I made the v-neck version (without the belt), in a purple shiny fabric with tiny flowers.
Made a long-sleeved shirt for my husband in matching fabric.

1977, at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. The project: fairly simple slightly gathered maxi skirt
and matching shawl with black fringe.

The maxi and shawl came from the pattern on the right.
(My sister made the same thing but in a different color.)
Left: I made the shirt in front with a blue and white tiny-flowered fabric.

I made a shorter skirt. A pair of matching complicated button-down shirts for me and a date for Sadie Hawkins Day Dance. Made another long skirt and long-sleeved peasant blouse for use when attending SCA activities (which I did a few times a year back then because two sisters and several friends were heavily involved), oh, and a long, warm hooded cloak for the same reason. 

Some dresses--a long-sleeved wrap-around that I really liked and a couple more. 

Wrap-around dress and its pattern. Up until about 5 years ago, I could wear it fine. 
Then, suddenly, I lost a lot of height and my chest became annoying large.
When I took this photo also I had put on a little weight. Again.
It went into the donation pile. 

Besides, I can count the number of times that I have worn a dress in the past 30 years on probably less than one finger. 

A couple of tank tops, another couple of sleeved tops.... and then: Sewing silence. The wedding dress might have been the last clothing I ever made. 

I kept the unfinished fabric and patterns because of course I'd get back to it, but suddenly post-wedding my life filled with many other things! 🥰  I sewed a few crafts: stuffed animals as gifts, some doll-house furniture... Hmmm, what else? Then I simplified my sewing life: Does it require a pattern? Yes? Gone. Does it require anything other than straight lines? Yes? Gone.  So, just harmless things like gift bags, duvet covers from sheets, repaired ripped seams in clothing, like that.

And then my sewing machine stopped working properly. I wasn't desperate enough to fix it. Keep meaning to... like I kept meaning to get back to those clothings. When I finally emptied that box, I had already cut out the fabric for one of the patterns, with the pattern pieces still pinned to it! Like a Pompeii artifact: Normal life then, suddenly, BOOM! sewing project buried forever.

It was never a specific hobby for me; I'd have never, even then, added it to a list of "things I like to do."

But it was fun for a while.

I have photos of so few of the things!

Wedding dress. Lace jacket with lace-wrapped buttons. Dress with very very very full skirt, 
Two layers: lavender satin topped with lace (the bodice: just satin with spaghetti straps).
Maybe the complexity and time it took to assemble finally wore me out on sewing clothing!
Really need to scan more wedding photos--
(My bridesmaids: Four sisters, one sister-in-law, and my maid of honor.)

Stuff I've done in the last month-ish

SUMMARY: Random photos Dec 2020

Compare level of activity and travel and variety to this from May 2016.

In summary: We stayed home, or very close to it.
One difference from 2016: I used my iPhone for almost every photo. So quality is not as good. But, well, at least I got the photos. 
... a lot of photos.
............. Over 3000, and we didn't go anywhere or do anything. But here's a flavor of our lives under COVID and around the holidays.

Found in garage: Signs for club's agility trials from wayayayay back.
A frenzy of downsizing: Will try to give away or recycle.

Over several days, watched an astounding variety of specialized equipment
remove and then repave my street's surface

Shortly after Thanksgiving: Ate pie for breakfast!
(It's healthy of course: Yogurt on top.)

Set up my xmas dogs on my front porch. And one in the window.

Walked. Many times. Sometimes twice a day.
Often at the park near home. With mask of course.
Am not posting photos of all of them (walks or masks). 

Hurried for a sunset walk at Martial Cottle Park near home.

Adored gift made by a friend - in blue and purple!

Ate breakfast with dog audience. Every. Single. Morning.

Trimmed my own bangs for the 2nd time this Pandemic.
You can see that they needed it.
I couldn't see anything.

Dog enjoyed sun thru window in my office.

Walked with Zorro. And mask.
At park near home.

Walked at sunset at Martial Cottle Park near home.
This family is wearing masks. Thank YOU! Family! Me, too.

Sometimes cleaned and filled and hung the hummingbird feeder. 

Added the traditional Christmas tree toppers.
Dragon since forever; Mr. Fox since recently.

Spent most of a day photographing and inventorying my yard decor. 
I apparently have a lot.
Some less rotted than others.
Poor vulture.

Walked at sunset in the park near home.

Removed allllll the magnets from my old fridge.

Friends helped bring in a new fridge
(actually their old one, which was 10 years younger than my quarter-century one)
Soon after, I did put all the magnets back on.

Washed dog beds and mats. And cleaned the washer afterwards.

Sometimes did my physical therapy exercises.
Zorro helped.

Occasionally spot-cleaned the living room carpet 
when I forgot to check the dog's feet for mud.
It's now mid-January; a week or so in December is all it has rained so far this year.
Not good.

Walked at park near  home for sunset.

Took Zorro on all my walks.
Not many successful photos of him.

Walked at park near home. In the rain. With mask and Cynosports hat.
Hat did not keep glasses dry.

Played tug with Squeaky Snake or sometimes
with Poison Dirt Toad.
(Like a Poison Dart Frog, but bigger and harder to shoot people with.)

Debated mightily with sis and Bro-in-law about risk of being in same car for an hour.
Decided to; with masks and open windows,
drove through Fantasy of Lights at park not far from here.

Occasionally shopped. For the necessities. Peppermint bark at Cost Plus.
Plus ubiquitous COVID distancing stickers.

Waited nearly a year, to avoid having strangers breathing in my car.
But finally took it in for its year-overdue service appointment.
Not that it mattered much: I'd driven only about 2500 miles for the entire year
compared to my usual 1000+ miles a month.
Walked the 2 miles home from there so I wouldn't have to risk Uber or Lyft. 
 In a batik mask.

Drove 2 miles to the local donut shop and took home... a face?

Jumped out of my seat when my phone started screaming
about an emergency.
It was this.
Same stuff as we've been seeing since March,
just elevated again because of post-Thanksgiving surge. Ugh.

Stay-at-home doesn't include outdoors, as long as you wear masks and stay at least 6' apart.
So, we walked at sunrise.

Walked even on mornings when frost decked the grass.

Walked down the block to take photos of this place.
Note the giant Raiders Santa.
Bet this family is disappointed that the Raisers left Oakland
and are now hundreds of miles away
in Las Vegas.

Sometimes took photos from my back porch.
Of, say, sunrise and tule fog in the park behind me.

Walked a lot. Mostly behind Zorro.

Rescued this spider from the kitchen sink three times.
Living the dream.

Held Zorro's collar and opened the front door every time he insistently barked a warning.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Often several times a day. Started earlier in the pandemic.
More and more all the time.
It was almost always those devious deliveries--just can't trust 'em in your street
--Amazon and UPS vans most common.

Sometimes, for an exciting change of pace, for our walk
we'd drive to one of the shopping centers within a mile from here.
Zorro is a good citizen: No one within 6 feet.

Occasionally, tried to take nice photos of Zorro. 
Always, too lazy to get out the tripod.

Debated mightily with longtime friend, also an amateur photog,
 about risk of being in same car for an hour.
Decided to; with masks and open windows,
drove around my neighborhood taking pix of people's yard decorations.

Set up tripod and lighting and lures for Zorro's eyes and
everything and worked hard at getting a decent shot of us for this year.

During the whole year, shopped by curbside pickup or delivery
whenever I could get what I needed, but sometimes had to actually go into a store.
Got out as quickly as I could.
Such a joy to be there, though, and look at the shelves 
and the produce! In person!

Went to bed early and stayed in bed late as often as I could.
Shortest days of the year in December, so DARK. And CHILLY.
Warm, heated flannel sheets. SOOOOO nice.
Zorro nursed on one of his many binkies a couple times a day.

Set up all the figurines with dogs that I inherited from my Mom's extensive Village.
First time since she died 4 years ago.
Decorated very little this year.
Good thing I left the tree up from last year.

Had Christmas dinner at separate tables with sis and her husby and their black dog, Abby.
Wore masks except when eating.
Had santizing wipes and hand sanitizer at each table.
About a quarter of the people we'd usually have.
Ditto with the food, but it was good.

Repaired a couple dozen things that have been sitting for a long time, including these fellas.

Slowly started doing crosswords again. For some reason, mostly stopped when COVID-19 started.
Don't know why--I've been home more since March by a megalot.
Started work on the paper's annual giant puzzle on Dec 27. 
(Finished it a week later, after 3 hours of work.)

Had takeout once a week or so--for curbside pickup or delivery.
This was a Taco Bell drive-through. We each got a taco.
Can you see the little blur behind him of his tail wagging?

Drove with same friend to San Francisco, masked & windows lowered, for some Xmas shots.
Macy's Union Square.
The red writing on the tree says "Believe." 
I sure hope I could believe that COVID is close to being behind us. Sigh.

New Year's Eve. We both went shopping.
So many tongue-licking nommy things to see and smell!
Went to bed early and quietly.
Thinking so much of Chip.
And glad at least that he wasn't here for this year--
it was a nightmare of fireworks that even disturbed Zorro for about 20 minutes. Me, too.
Then we went back to sleep, hoping for a brighter 2021.