Tuesday Turn the Tables

[Harriet]

It's Tuesday! Do you know where your table surfaces are?

Are there clear spaces to write, to study, to prepare, to dine, to chat over, to set down a cup of something?

Or are there... ... hot spots of dreaded clutter? (GASP) Do you need to turn the tables on some clutter, because you're pretty sure you paid good money for a lovely surface, and it's under there somewhere?

Do you need to find the Lemon Pledge? Maybe your coasters have been coasting along for years and need reinforcements. Does that artificial flower arrangement start looking a little dusty or bedraggled? Have you fluffed your doilies lately? Is your runner slowing down? Is there a table that is just not working up to its potential, and maybe deserves a re-think?

Do you need to turn the tables?

[Harriet]

Hi to all. My tables need attention because the season of the year needs clear spaces to spread out! I found this topic from 2015, so that must have been a similar year for me! Our tree is up - no small feat after I found out that artificial ones take so much work to fluff out. The one I've helped with for years at church was so easy but this one is higher maintenance!

This morning I travel with HRH to get one cavity filled for him. He is soooooo looking forward. (smile)

And then it's back to the grindstone tomorrow with a lecture to attend through cyber-space and then the next morning another class opens up with all the assignments revealed. A little more time was given for the one we're in because of Thanksgiving. Maybe I can get in some catching up on posts.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm going to miss the stories of getting the tree stand out of the barn!

Artificial trees have pluses and minuses. No scent and fluffing are the minuses. Cost and length of time it can be up, as well as no stress to find the perfect tree each year are the pluses.

Mine will go up next weekend but the spot is now ready for it. Ds is here and while he wrote his newsletter contribution I emptied the nativity scene bin. Just the dining room left to do.

Now I need to make up my plan for the day. Lots of loose ends that need addressing. Hopefully I will get them done so I'll be ready to work on prepping envelopes for the newsletters tomorrow. And Downton Abbey.

[Ramblinrose]

Morning...

Well my day yesterday turned out to be a bugger. Got most of the laundry done and put away. Took down most of my fall stuff and then took out some Cmas things. Stopped at the dollar store to pick up a frame for an art project that was done with my dgd foot print. Headed to the Verizon store to get my new phone set up. The guy took out the SIM card from the old phone and put it in my new phone and sent me on my way.

Headed to Wally World for just a few items and to print some baby pictures for my mom. Went to make the photos only to find I had my new phone with me which of course wasn’t set up...phooey!!!!

Then stopped two other stores and headed home.

Got a cup of coffee, sat down and tried to start up my new phone... nadda went to the web site which was JSU less. Was beginning to get really perturbed to put it mildly. Couldn’t talk to a human so around and around I went.

Walked away and started dinner. Couldn’t let it rest cause now I was without a working phone. The chat box just kept spinning me until I finally found the right words to get to a human....I want to speak with a human. Bingo then I waited 25 minutes till he showed up.

Ran me through a bunch of options... nadda again new phone kept reading ..no SIM. Was wondering instructed to take the SIM card out of my new phone, read th 15 number digits back to the guy while HE tried to restated my phone. Nothing still reading ...No SIM

Then I got a great idea to put the SIM back in my old phone... bingo, my old phone worked!!! Conclusion: my new phone doesn’t work, and may need a new one. Only took an hour to figure this out working with the guy. Wondering if they really sent me a true new phone or one they refurbished.

So now it’s back to the phone store today ... I am not a happy camper.

The good news is I will make sure I have the right phone with me and make my pictures before I go to the phone store. I also want to drop off a bunch of stuff at my donation place. Then if I’m not too tired I will come home and pull out my boxed artificial Cmas tree. It’s only 4’ so plumping it out shouldn’t take long. I never mind doing it anyway. Think I’ll start working on my Cmas cards as well.

Next up, coffee and my morning shake. Footprints were dealt with last night and dinner will be left overs. Put my down comforter on my bed yesterday and slept with the window open... it’s 51 outsider headed for 69 and my house was at 67 when I got up. We seldom put the heat on cause we enjoy the cool so much. Makes for great sleeping.

[Nancy]

I am up cough cough sneeze fighting a bit of a cold.
Lovely sun rise here this morning.
44* high temp. All week. Lovely weather with mild temps.
I have had my coffee.
I felt netter mid morning yesterday.
Trash is at the curb.

[BookSaver]

Oh no, don't ask me about tables.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Golly gee, Harriet, don't scare me like that!


Yesterday's weather here was beautiful and at the library we had sunshine blazing in the windows. So pretty.
That was good because we had a mighty mountain of items returned after the holiday weekend, and almost 400 people through the doors to keep us busy helping them and putting away books and movies.

Today DSis is able to take DMom to doctor appointments so I am not needed up north until tomorrow.

I will stick to the original plan for today, which is to spend the afternoon with volunteers decorating Christmas trees and hanging lights & garlands. In addition to all things Christmas, we have a lot of snow people decorations that we put up in December and then those stay up until Valentine's Day. It's a lot of work but it's very pretty in the end. TinyTown holiday festival is this Sunday so we are on a deadline getting ready for Santa to come to the library for photos beside our fireplace.

[Twins' Mom]

Nancy, I still have the cough and runny nose from my second round of the cold. It's hard to stay well right now, isn't it?

I'm working my way through a.m. routine. Not as cold today as yesterday but I still need to get out of pajamas and walk the dog. I have laundry turning already.

I am getting out some Hanukkah seasonal things today.

[LadyMaverick]

Harriet - Thank you for the start. I have missed your CI's.

Bookie - Your wit about the table had me chuckling.

I slept good and had a good start to my day. I seem to be writing that almost every day lately but I don't take it for granted. I have to mentally stay focused and push myself to stay on track to get things done in the first few hours of my day. I have given up on early morning walking because the timing wasn't working with the non-negotiable items on morning schedule. I am testing out a different option to get my daily steps in.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Oh no, don't ask me about tables.
Move along, nothing to see here.

"nothing to see" Yup, I can identify with that! It has been several weeks since you could see my dining table surface!

It is clearer (not yet clear but hope in sight) but only because most of the mess is a pile of papers on the coffee table now. So not really progress.

I'm taking off the cloth and protector and will go back to just wood for a few weeks. I really miss the wood but the table cloth has done well to protect the table while I've been doing so much on it. On the other hand, I think I'm better about getting papers off the wood because they blend into the white cloth so it doesn't 'yell' at me as much.

I'm dressed, bedroom is tidied, first of two loads of laundry is started so now I need to get back to the dining room decorating.

[Elizabeth]

Lessons learned:

1. It's all fun & games until someone is hauled out on a backboard.
2. There is no RV parking at the ER.
3. "M and I did this once" is not a good hiking decision tool.

Blow by blow:

• Thursday: original planned departure. N's cat was injured and the weather was iffy. I made the captain's decision to depart Friday instead. Cat went to animal ER and is fine now.
• Friday: departure. No problem with hook up or driving. Could not get the water hose connected to the campsite's spigot. There were two outlets, only one of which fit my hose. Of course, water was coming out the other hose. We filled pitchers and buckets and all was well. Cold as heck and the heater would only blow cold air.
• Saturday: Thanksgiving Day. Had delicious food. N and I walked a nice easy paved trail. N requested something more adventurous for Sunday. DD studied. RPodNation.com had a solution for the heater, no parts required.
• Sunday
  
  • Planned
    
    • Ask camp host how to work the water spigot (this was done successfully)
    • N & I walk on lava field, DD17 study
    • Leave early afternoon
    • Drop N off at home
    • Return home, where I would learn how to park my camper in my yard by myself, with DD available if I needed help
    • Return DD to the x by 7 pm
  • Actual
    
    • Found a short easy trail below lava flow and walked that.
    • N not satisfied with the easy trails. She wanted to find a "trail" she and her late husband M had walked 6 years ago. We found the trailhead, but a very prickly bush was blocking it. I suggested a different trailhead and climbing to the top of the lava flow and walking there. We did this, but she kept going further afield, looking for M's "trail".
    • Time to leave and we can't find the way we came. However, the camp is still in sight and not far away.
    • N doesn't like any way down I suggest and keeps going south looking for a better trail. Campsite much further and receding fast.
    • In search of the easy way down, N starts going a direction that will result in loss of visual sighting of the camp. I only go 5 feet down her route when I put my foot down. I tell her there is no way we are going to wander where we cannot see our way back. She says she knows where camp is and points in the WRONG DIRECTION! I backtrack the 5 feet and point out the right direction.
    • I tell N that we are going to start heading to the camp in a straight line, never losing sight of it and off we go.
    • Some time later N falls and cannot get up.
    • I call 911, but don't know where we are except that at least we can see the camp, so I can tell them something useful. They get a fix on the phone and send sheriff and ambulance. Eventually they find us.
    • After much consideration and decisions among the rescue crew, they figure out how to get her out. It is not easy for them. It becomes easy for me, because my new job is carry N's stuff (not much), stay out of the way, and walk very carefully.
    • N is carried out on a backboard. No back or neck injury, it is just the best way to get her out. EMT's put her in front seat.
    • Break camp at record speed, no organization or forethought, just get it done. Head out at 6 pm.
    • Drive 2.5 hours, get to ER near N's house. The route N gave me has a really narrow drive with a steep hill to the ER. Managed successfully, but camper wheels hit curb. Not likely a problem. Drop off N.
    • Drive home and attempt to park camper. Between being rushed, stressed, tired, dark, etc etc etc, DD and I just can't get it done. She calls the x, who offers to park it. I decide to have him direct me, but only twice. Just not working (my problems, not him). We mutually recognize I am too stressed and rushed to get it right. He parks it in two minutes flat. He takes DD home at 10 pm. No unloading or anything, just chock it and back to the ER.
    • Pick up N at ER and get her home. She has a broken tibia.
    • Make the house safe for her to get around on crutches. She is a hoarder. The existing configuration is a few, very narrow paths between MBR, kitchen, bathroom, and LR. I widen paths and create "way stations", where she can sit to rest in each room. At one point, I throw away newspapers scattered on the floor, but am told to stop because "there might be coupons". I refuse, telling her that right now they are only trip hazards, and any coupon savings will be negated by another trip to the ER. At 1 am, I am running out of steam for the MBR, and just make a plow with my hands and shovel the papers to the side. I get N to bed.
    • Drive home. Finally get inside my own house and do my own chores. Text bosses and carpoolmates that I need a sick day Monday. In bed sometime between 230 and 300.
• Monday - not part of original time off plans. Sleep late. Eat at favorite Chinese place. Purchase dehumidifier and a few other supplies for camper. Dance class. Return some items to N. Continue process of making house safer. Feed cat (who is much better now) and do catboxes. Set up and clean bathroom. In my own bed at 2 am. ETA: I did remember to remove the perishables from the camper.