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A reminder for the bigger picture - though nothing lofty here, just proctical goals and an overview in one place of all the work to be done, and the 'why?'. Reminding myself of the 'why' helps to approach a problem from different angles. These are short and medium term goals and a brief list of the main jobs to be done to achieve them. As 'things' are my current millstone, there are three major projects or approaches to dealing with things - storage, declutter, organise - get rid of what I don't need (not that easy to do in a way to not waste things and limited transport and access...), safely store what I retain, and be able to find things. This sits on the easle with the to-do list.
There is more on the slip method on my website.
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
via
Outbreak Of Germantown TN Roof Rats in Homes
Patriot Wildlife Control
401 E Valleywood Dr
Collierville, Tennessee 38017
(901) 287-1932
Roof rats are known by a variety of names such as the fruit rat, ship rat, citrus rat et cetera. They have a distinct appearance; usually black or dark brown with smooth fur, a very long tail, large eyes and ears and a pointy face. Roof rats are adept climbers and usually prefer to build their nests above ground. Outdoors, roof rats’ nests can be found in trees, dense vegetation and woodpiles. Indoors, they prefer to live in the upper levels of the building like the attic, ceiling, rafters and cabinets. Roof rats prefer a diet of fruits and nuts, however, like most rodents, they are omnivores and will eat almost anything when hungry. This could be meat, vegetables, tree bark, grains, insects and even pet foods. These pesky rodents are known to hoard food and stash it in their nesting places. They also prefer to nest in areas where they can easily get water to sustain them, even if it means chewing through water pipes.
Rats invade roofs in Memphis suburbs of Collierville and Germantown, TN
Homeowners in Germantown, TN and Collierville are making shocking discoveries in their attics. Rats are invading homes by way of the roofs, and pest control companies are busy trying to get the persistent problem under control. "I'm actually shocked to go into attics and not find evidence," said Wildlife Solvers employee Chris Settle. "I've been in multiple attics, not animal related, and found evidence of animals." Settle's job for the last 10 years has been removing rats, squirrels and other unwanted pets out of homes. "I had a customer, she had roof rats," Settle recalled. "We did the job, fortunately. There was close to about 40 rats that were stuck in the attic when we did it." Photos sent to the WMC Action News 5 newsroom from another home show a dead rodent, covered in maggots, that was found in a Collierville residence. And that's not the only one. At another home in Collierville, Settle removed squirrels and rats, then sealed up parts of the roof with metal plates and screens near gutters. So why are these animals headed to Germantown and Collierville? "It's the vegetation, I believe," Settle explained. "They have a lot of nice trees and bushes, a lot more food." Roof Rat News Source
Roof rats need to be treated as vermin because they do carry and spread diseases. They transmit disease directly through contact. This happens when they contaminate food with their feces. They can also transmit diseases indirectly when fleas bite a diseased rat and then bite a pet or a person. It is a known historical fact that the bubonic plague was transmitted to humans from rat fleas. This was the cause of the Black Death in Europe, a devastating pandemic in the history of mankind. Roof rats can also bite people and pets thus transmitting the rat bite fever through a bacteria strain found in their mouths.
Roof Rats On The Rise In The Mid-South
(Memphis) The sound of footsteps on the roof this winter season probably isn't reindeer, but rather roof rats. A Mid-South pest management company says it's seeing a huge increase in the pesky rodents. Suburbs like Germantown are seeing huge spikes in calls year to year. What do you get when a mild summer follows after a warm winter? Pest experts say perfect mating conditions for rats. “They make a lot of them, 30 or 40 per year,” said Lanier James with James Pest Management. However, as colder temperatures move in so do rats, according to James. He says the rats will seek warmth in the attic and walls of your home. “The roof rat lives in trees, lives in vines, they'll live in vines,” he said. “They love to go in voids of that nature. They get in some unique situations in home.” James says homeowners get unnerved when a rat dies, filling a house with smell of decay, but ripping down walls to remove a dead rat can be expensive. Article Source On Roof Rats In Germantown
There are various ways to get rid of roof rats depending on how severe the infestation is. In the most severe cases, professional exterminators may be called to access the situation and deal with the infestation. However, it is possible to contain the population of roof rats and even keep them out of the house entirely. Here are some simple ways to keep these pests away.
Make use of professional rodent exterminator services to lure them to snap trap or glue traps.
Sanitation – this is the single most important prevention and control measure to combat a rat infestation. Store food in tightly sealed containers, empty garbage bins frequently, declutter the garage, attic and other areas where roof rats could nest and clear vegetation around the home.
Exclusion – prevent roof rats from entering the home by trimming tree branches, caulk holes and crevices, screen air vents and make sure doors and windows fit properly in their frames.
Starve them out – pick up any fruits that drop to ensure the rats don’t get any food or water, don’t leave pet food out at night, keep garbage containers tightly covered and limit the use of bird feeders.
Memphis ranked #1 city for roof rats
Many Memphians may be experiencing some uninvited visitors. Terminix released a list of the top 10 cities with roof rat infestations, and Memphis has been ranked as number 1. Autumn is the most common season for roof rats because their outdoor food source has lessened. They are easier to distinguish from other better-known rodent relatives because of their long scaled tails. According to Paul Curtis, although roof rats usually stay out of plain sight, they are often times a sign of an infestation. Curtis also said they are most active at night and often leave smudge marks as result of dirt and oil. Roof rats tend to enter through buildings through holes, soffit vents, cables entering buildings and turbine and box vents of roofs. In October 2015, roof rats invaded Memphis suburbs, shocking residents. But that's not the only time Memphis has had roof rat infestations. In September 2016, several Memphians found roof rats plagues their homes again. Source - Roof Rats Invade Tennessee Suburbs
Germantown TN Wildlife Removal Route
See Website Here: Germantown Tennessee Roof Rat Control Needed After Outbreak
I wrote a greasemonkey script for facebook that removes annoying application messages from your facebook homepage and also, new in this version, released on 28th Oct 2009: "became a friend of", "is attending an event", "joined a group" and "became a fan of" messages too.
You can use the "Show/Hide" links that are inserted at the top of the page, to re-show the messages if you really want to see them. The script also adds a "block app" link to messages from applications, which allows you to quickly "block" an app, rather than simply hiding it. The script also has a feature for whitelisting application messages that you *do* want to see. More info on whitelisting : whitelist.fbpurity.com.
*UPDATE* 4th November - V2.1a released.
get the script and further info here: Fluff Busting Purity cleans up the facebook homepage
BTW There is a FBP fan page here: Fluff Busting Purity Purity ( cleans up facebook) - Fan Page. join up for the latest news and information, tips and tricks etc
This Precious Moments colouring book... I've had it since before I was even a teenager yet. Though I didn't colour in it anymore, I managed to keep it and it survived a lot of moves. Now that I've been into colouring again and also trying to declutter a lot in my life, I decided to finally finish the book! It's very nostalgic to colour in it! I'm putting the coloured sheets up on my whiteboard to display for a while and then it'll be gone after. But I thought this was a better way to enjoy the childhood memory than to just store it for years!
For this sheet, I used Rowan's childhood vegan crayons from Melissa & Doug. But after this one I switched to pencil crayons as I like them a lot more.
Grilled cheese on 14 grain Killer Bread. Yum.
Gotta get energy to declutter a few kitchen cabinets,
365.....flickr, days, projects, 2021. Sunday, August 8, 2021.
sitter unknown
About 25 years ago, the photographs were left to my parents in a Will by their next door neighbour of 30 years. At the time I said I'd look after them. Decluttering the attic I found the box with them all in. Many of them were taken in Norwich photography studios. I'm trying to date them as there's not much information on them. I guess they must be late 19C. They are not being added to the declutter pile. I'll carry on looking after them.
I decided to rationalise the numbers of bottles of Clinique's daily face wash I had. So many samples and freebies with purchase.
This is my office, before I cleaned it up. OK, so I haven't started cleaning it yet, but I'm hoping that posting this picture online will motivate me to get organized!
Not perfect, but a huge difference! I can't say enough about the motivation I'm getting by working through my walls every week. Decluttering is more than just tossing stuff out. It is about making lasting change to live in harmony and balance.
The ten items from the mending pile:
school dress, tracksuit pants, 2 t-shirts - second hand, minor mending; D's favourite skirt - replaced the elastic; E's favourite dress - repaired button holes; bag - resewed button; D's purple tights - sewed up a ladder; knickers - resewed elastic that had come off; purple socks - mended toe.
Yes I did darn my sock! It's not hard, doesn't take long, and it makes the socks last longer. Why not do it?
Ok guys, I don't even know what this stuff was made of but there is a huge open area behind me but it was dark in this small kitchen. I ended up doing a quadra right behind me and then a light on either side to open up the opposite side and then masking to blend it. I was torn on - 1)Do I just blast it? or 2) Make it soft and more ambient. So I went with 2. I tried blasting it and it looked terrible. I would love suggestions though since I may be going back once they declutter. And yes that's mirrors all the way around and yes I was a bit low for this shot. The owners were literally all around me...
I have always been a hard worker, but it has been difficult for me to learn in the traditional paper-pencil way. It is a lot easier if I can see, touch and experience things. As a result, I have had to work a lot harder than others.
When I graduated from high school, I was excited about the next chapter of my life. But reality hit, and I did not know what to do next. I explored many job options like a massage therapist and fitness trainer, but was unsuccessful. I did not feel that I could do anything and started working with my father with very little direction for myself.
When I was told about Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado’s Pursuits program, I was intrigued. I researched it with my dad and eventually decided to apply. Even though I had problems with self-confidence, Goodwill helped me believe that I am a light in this world. Pursuits helped me gain the knowledge and experience I needed to prepare for a job and work with others. There were some things that I learned in high school that I really didn’t get, such as balancing a checkbook and balancing life. Pursuits helped those concepts sink in through experience instead of on paper.
I was excited and happy that I was able to get a job with Kuni Lexus before I graduated from Pursuits. I thought I was done with Goodwill and they would probably forget about me like a shadow, but I was wrong.
I saw my face on the side of trucks, in newspapers and even on water bottles, and I was invited to Goodwill’s celebrations. It was truly mind blowing for me! When I was asked to do an interview, I thought it was going to be small and quick, but when I saw the professional cameras, lights and microphone, I was so nervous. But I managed to find the words and answer the questions.
Now that I look back and see how far I have come and how much I have achieved, I realize that there is nothing out of my reach. Thanks to Pursuits, with hard work and honesty, I can be successful. I also gained the courage and the will to keep moving forward to many more successes for my future.
Hear more stories from people like Cory.
bit.ly/1bLap8k #donatestuffcreatejobs
These ready-to-hang sets of hooks, with porcelain knobs, are great for avoiding that pile of keys, socks, wallets, and bookbags which otherwise spontaneously appear on the surface nearest the door.
Barbara (my roommate) talked to me about wanting to declutter her life this weekend and I'm jumping on board. As you can see, I really need it. :/
An "after" picture will follow.
This photo belongs to the same series as One last look
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
The storage units and mini storage offered in the self-storage facility are of appropriate size for all your belongings.
You are allowed to access your self-storage whenever you want to.
DRAPER King Arthur Self Storage
14039 S Minuteman Dr • Draper, UT 84020
Call us@ 801-619-1999
Email us@ kingarthurdraper@aol.com
Visit us@ kingarthurdraper.com
January 16, 2008
My spice cupboard has been driving me crazy! It was jam-packed, I couldn't find anything, and my spices were overflowing onto the top of the refrigerator.
One of my goals is to have a consistently clean kitchen. I've been trying to declutter one little area at a time. Yesterday was the snack cupboard. Today was the spice cupboard! I removed everything from the cupboard that wasn't a spice or a seasoning. I threw away everything I knew I would never use. Then I pulled out a wooden mandarin orange box I'd been saving (I knew it would come in handy for something). I put most of the spices in the box. Now when I need to look for something, I can pull the box out and find it instead of knocking everything over in the cupboard (I think I picked this tip up from my college roommate Karma).
I am much happier with this! I had to take a picture of it as a demonstration of my lameness. :)
I still can’t believe that all this crap came out of the basement – electronics, school work (all the way back to elementary school), floppy disks, cassettes tapes, VHS tapes and tons of other ‘stuff’ from my years of collecting (hoarding). It is safe to say that Rebecca is much happier now that it is gone.
this is day 334 of my fourth year in pictures…
Although I'm not a Catholic, I love taking part in Lent. The practice of giving up something for Lent has been one of the best practices in my life. For Lent 2011, my 40 Days of habit breaking is focused on decluttering. Talk about something to give up! When I found Project Simplify on Simple Mom, simplemom.net/project-simplify, I found a match made in heaven!
Los Angeles, CA
April 29th, 2010
Kodak T-Max 400, Sprint Standard developer, Sprint Quick Record fixer
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Camera: 1986 Pentax PC35AF-M
Film: 35mm Fujicolour C200 (ISO 200)
Focussing fail!
I love the covers of these books. I've recently re-read them all and donated them to the charity shop. Trying to declutter a bit!
Spring is almost here! I took a break from crafty photography, and hunkered down for the winter with various projects. It also encouraged me to sift through my craft materials.
A few years ago, I was handed a grocery bag worth of buttons (I love it when crafters think of me when they declutter). Around the same time I went to a vintage fair and bought the chipmunk and bunny cards. I liked the buttons on them, but I was mostly drawn to the cute animals. These were probably old cards that the vender repurposed to make the buttons more distinctive? If so, it worked!
The buttons are mostly Domcord, Streamline, Tiffany and Lady Fashion.
I did a lot of thinking this winter about how to use up all these up. I have lots of ideas, but it will probably take me years.
this is a picture of my old clothes, that i had to thrown out. i had real difficulties with this. i mean at a certain point i paid lots of money for these clothes, and now it's worth nothing. i made a whole video about this, please check it out on my website, www.organizingbuddy.com. please also comment on info@organizingbuddy.com