Cleaning Spaces

Yesterday was mainly a dull grey day with lots of wind and a couple of showers. When the sun broke through it was nice. The high got to 19.2C. This morning it was 16C and it had rained during the night. The wind also blew a lot. It is suppose to get to 19C and we are to have showers during the day and some heavy rain tonight. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I focused on the garage. I cleaned the floor and walls where the saw had been stored. It was a lot of work as it hadn't been done in well over a year. I swept, I brushed, and then swept some more. There is a hanging device on the wall and I hung 2 extension cords and 2 brooms and dustpans on it. There is room for the snow shovel. I wiped the dirt and dust off the baseboard heater so it can be turned on if needed (which we have rarely used). The area is minimal looking which is just perfect for me. I can see what I have at a glance. I looked at the next small area I want to clean - under the window. I have to move one item to the shed, figure out what to do with a half sheet of plywood, and deal with the saw horses. A bit more planning needs to be done plus I have to move the car out of the garage so it has to be a nice day when I do it. 

After doing that small part of the garage, I turned to cleaning the very back of the car. I vacuumed it out, put all the cloth shopping bags into one bag and cleaned the green bin. It looks much better. I will be having the car detailed next spring. I am cleaning the car just as slowly as I am cleaning the garage. 

I did look at the family room but didn't do anything down there. My back was aching from all the bending I had to do while in the garage. I chose to rest my back before lunch. I was happy with what I had got done. When my back felt better I did some striding and knees up walking. My knee is much better though a bit stiffer than the other one. The knees up walking is making me focus on my balance. 

Things are moving slowly on getting calls made and hearing back on things. The list is getting smaller and smaller in that department but it also means closure. Some days I can handle it, others I can't and just ignore it. The hardest part of the day is the evenings. I am sure they will be the hardest part for me for quite a while. 

I made Shrimp Scampi last night following One Dish Kitchen's recipe. I will double everything but the butter and oil the next time as it was a tiny portion. It was tasty though and worth making again. 

Sewing

I spent 90 minutes in the sewing room before my brain shut down. I hate assembly line sewing. I fight it every inch of the way which slows me down. My brain loves to start and finish a project at a time. A project is sewing one bag at a time. 

I got the three outer bags sewn to standing up. Back seams, bottom seams, and the triangle pieces to make the bottom part of the bag. A lot of sewing and pressing. I did each bag to this stage as I moved more quickly doing it that way. The fight was setting it aside and doing the next one when my brain was saying cut the lining and handles and piping. 

Though the same fabric, they look different which is great. The middle bag is for an online auction and the other two for daughter and son-in-law. 

I got the linings cut and quit for the day. Today I have to cut the handles and make piping. The bags need about 3.5 meters of piping in total and the rest will be sent to daughter for her western shirts. 

I haven't thought about any other sewing as these bags are my focus at the moment. I want to get them done and shipped to daughter as soon as possible. The only thing I've decided is to clean the sewing room in December. It is a mess as I've been dumping things on the cutting table and ignoring the overflow. I need to get it back to looking minimal so I can feel calm when I enter to sew. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks and have 65 rounds knit on each sock. I knit while my back rests and then in the evening. 

Knitting has, once again, helped pass the quiet time in the evenings. As soon as I get the family room like I want it, I will be knitting downstairs at night. I can watch shows on the TV rather than the iPad.

Thoughts

    The part of the garage I cleaned was easy to do. No tears as there was nothing to touch that I couldn't handle. Nothing was tossed but some dirty cloths. The next part will be harder as the saw horses need to be taken apart and dealt with. This part is dirtier as it was where the Spousal Unit had put items that I need to deal with. 

    The family room will be difficult but I'm going to push through. Pictures need to be hung, a tub needs to be dealt with, and items moved around so I can use the space the way I want to. The hard part is making it mine and not ours. The room is already minimal looking.

   Upstairs is coming along and I will be doing some work in it next spring. I will start with painting the whole upstairs grey. I will be asking around for a good painter and then get the trim redone. After that it will be painting the cupboards, getting new counter tops, sink, taps, and back splash. I'm really doing what we had planned before covid arrived.

Today

I have to start cleaning the family room this morning and then sew this afternoon. Upstairs will be ignored today as it isn't that bad and I need to get some things done in other areas of the house. I will sew this afternoon and knit tonight. 

Until the next time..........................................