Sunday 7 March 2021

Sunshine Sunday

 Good morning (late morning - it's almost 10:00 as I'm writing this). It is minus 10 degrees celsius  "feels like minus 12" right now, but the sun is actually shining, so it makes me feel like it's warmer and almost, getting close to, could possibly be on the way to spring. 

I've carried out a sack of chicken feed this morning and said hello to the girls. Two eggs so far. I have been gifted with as much as five eggs in one day now, and so their strike must be over. For their efforts they get things like leftover kale pieces, strawberry cut-offs, half a cooked sweet potato, and a big treat - some haddock that I experimented with (new recipe) that was o.k., but nobody wanted to have reheated fish the next day. 

Here is this morning's picture of Scooter on the "lawn". 


The front porch, on which I won't be drinking coffee quite yet:


This is my view right now. Those of you who are Schitt's Creek's fans may appreciate this very cool gift from a teacher colleague. She made it with her Cricut (pronounced like cricket apparently - it's a crafty gadget that lots of teachers now own) (but not me, I'm not crafty).


That's a Nespresso coffee in my mug. I don't drink them all the time because I'm innately a very cheap person and usually have instant in the morning, but it's the weekend, and THE SUN IS SHINING!!

Yesterday I started a task that has been long overdue. For years and years we had a little metal two-drawer filing cabinet that never really had a proper home and long since exceeded its storage capacity. We have then resorted to accordian files and well, quite frankly, piles that topple over on top of the little filing cabinet. 

Husband found a nice looking wooden filing cabinet (used) that, although it was also two-drawer, held much more than our little one. It has been sitting empty, as an end table, in the living room for months and months. Because husband was the one who seemed to be bothered by the appearance of the metal one and sought out the wooden one, I presumed he would be the one to transfer paperwork into it. Well, you know how that goes, so yesterday I started preparing the little labeled tabs and put them into hanging files (which were going to be tossed from my workplace - score!) and got a start putting paperwork into the files. I'm no where close to being done, but at least I've started. 

Here's the thing. I am very organized in my professional life. I have binders of units that I teach, all labeled and accessible. I have files upon files of units, worksheets, etc. in a large four-drawer cabinet. (Well, actually, I don't anymore since I've been purging, but I DID). I am a meticulous writer-downer of my day plans, my marking pages, my group emails to parents... but at home, I am in complete denial of paperwork. I despise even opening the mail and if it has both of our names on it, I leave it for husband. I know, I know... it's ridiculous. It's my own personal downfall. So, I feel pretty good about even broaching this filing task yesterday. Who knows, I might even finish today! (Husband, in the meantime is completing a bathroom reno project, so I feel like I should be doing something productive). 

Have a great rest of your Sunday, all. I hope the sun is shining where you live! 

43 comments:

  1. I am with you on the paper work why oh why do I hate it? I have 2 file cabinets and I still have a pile on the end of the counter. Junk mail goes right in our burn pile for the fireplace.
    We have been very cold too but a warm up is coming this week, I am so ready for spring.
    Cathy

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  2. It sure is! What a beautiful day! Your computer desk looks so inviting with that big cuppa on it. I also have a filing drawer that needs to be updated and a lot of stuff disposed of. It is waayyy down on the list! The way the weather forecast is trending, that porch will be bare in no time. Have a great day.

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    1. Yes, it's supposed to be eleven degrees later this week!

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  3. You'll have such a feeling of accomplishment when you're done!

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    1. No doubt, but I'm still dragging my heels today. :)

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  4. I frequently say that my husband is the "saver" in this family and brag that I am not. Welllll, there is one area in which I am a saver. And that is with paper work. I have way too much of it that needs to go straight into the garage wood stove. Since moving my desk from bedroom to kitchen, I've been going through extraneous files, sorting, reorganizing and tossing out A LOT. (Next those bottom two drawers of a tucked away file cabinet.) Why-oh-why do we think all those papers need to be saved? Saved for what? Let's encourage each other to keep on getting rid of the paper clutter mess, okay? No sun here yet today, but a promised warm up in the week to come.

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    1. Well, apparently it's good to keep documents for seven years in case you are audited, but we don't have our own business, so I'm not sure that applies to us.

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  5. Yay for eggs. Yay for sunshine. NOT yay for minus 10 degrees. How does one even move about in such coldness?
    I always love that feeling of accomplishment when I finish something like what you're working on....mundane or not, it's gonna be a good feeling for you.

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    1. I forget where you live, Suz, but I'm guessing it doesn't get down to minus ten very often.

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    2. Southwest Florida. We're having a cool front this weekend; it's currently 73* right now.

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  6. Look at all that snow on your terrace. You need quite a few days of sunshine to melt all that.
    Nice to hear your girls are providing again. They're very well looked after so should show appreciation, or else lol
    Good luck with the paper work. So boring but will be nice to admire your efforts when it's finished

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    1. There really isn't an "or else" here. It's like a retirement home for chickens. Nobody gets eaten. (Although the two nasty roosters got given away for free - don't know what their fate was after that).

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  7. We loathe the tides of paperwork...and if on are sorted at work it feels an imposition to have to do it at home!!
    Is Scooter asking "is this all the green you have?" ?!

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    1. Scooter actually is pretty fine with cold weather. He goes out to do his business in all weather (doesn't like cat litter - strange little beast). He has fur between his toes! But I'm sure he likes some bare earth to sniff about.

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  8. The sun is shining - it is almost 30C. We are in a warm spell.

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  9. Not your personal downfall. It's the overload of work and when you get home it's the last thing you want to do. I write a lot now. But when I was working and writing every day, the last thing I'd want when I got home was more time typing! I need to revisit the filing cabinet too -- it's getting rather packed and I wonder if some of the things in it could go into basement storage if they can't be pitched. (More needs to be pitched!) I'm giving books a good evaluation for donation these days but that's my hardest let go. I'd be better served going back to purging clothing and linens! Ah well. It's always something! Congratulations on a new space! And fresh eggs!

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    1. I would LOVE to get rid of more "stuff" that we have stored here and there in our house. Alas, easier said than done. Someone else tends to hang onto things. Old towels and bedding end up going to the garage for rags and to cover things up for various purposes. So they don't really go away, they just go to a different location.

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    2. I'm usually the hanger on, so purging is traumatic for me! Much of my stuff goes to the lake so I get the different location thing! I meant to tell you I loved the poster of SC's "David" your colleague gave you. We're on season five, I think. Maybe six. Oh, I'm going to miss it when it is done!

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  10. Sounds a little like spring cleaning to me! I got as far as lining up my bins yesterday. I'll get around to opening them this week.

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    1. I envision a much bigger spring clean. Don't know if it will happen the way I imagine, but it's a direction I'd like to go in.

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  11. Your post made me laugh. At home I am meticulously organized and at work I never get to complete a thought. This, my office is chaos. My husband's office was as neat as a pin and at home he could care less if anything is where it belongs. Good luck with your project. Hoping you get warmer weather.

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    1. It is supposed to warm up this week (but I'm under no illusion that it will stay that way - it's only March). How's your weather there?

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  12. David is my favourite in Schitts Creek. I'm just catching up with the early seasons. For some reason I got put off it early on. Been retired 13 years so have, more or less, gotten rid of all my teaching supplies. Only one file cabinet but it is pretty full!

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    1. I am getting rid of A LOT of my teaching stuff, but hanging onto a bit for my "once in a while" supply days, just in case I'm met with a blank day plan, or if I might, just might, do a bit of tutoring.

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  13. Very sunny here and maybe 78 today! ...Hope you finish up this project quickly!

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    1. Hi Holly. I am almost done my filing. Just a bit more to go, but lots got done after all.

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  14. I have a Cricut and it scares me. I have made some cards and a few Christmas ornaments. I must get using it a bit more.

    Hope you get all your paperwork sorted.

    God bless.

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    1. It's a pretty popular gadget with some of my colleagues. My one teacher colleague has a "Harry Potter" classroom, so she made cut outs (do you call them that??) for all the four houses of Hogwarts for all the kids.

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  15. We've got the warm weather here, it reached 7C today. I opened the sun room for the cats and they were in their glory. I suspect this weather is heading your way.

    I've learned to deal with the paperwork in two ways - go paperless for a lot of stuff and deal with the rest when it comes in the door. I do "save" the PDFs of the electronic billing on my computer so I have access to the info if needed. But I must admit it's far easier now than when I was working. Who wants to deal with paperwork when you've managed paper all day?

    Take care, stay well.

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    1. You were in banking, weren't you? (I might have that mixed up with someone else). I imagine you are a pretty organized person!

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  16. Hope you got the filing/paperwork done-or at least started. I had to take over all the household paperwork due to hubby's health and had to redo the whole filing system and go through 15 years of PAPERS and purge and shred and purge and shred...did I mention purging and shredding? Anyway, I,too, am super organized in most areas and that was a task unto itself.

    We are supposed to get to upper 50'sF here this coming week. If we do, it will break records.

    Have a wonderful week, dear heart! xo Diana

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    1. Redo the whole filing system! Funny you should say that. Husband thought he'd go through a pile of papers in the corner of the kitchen counter (ughhhhh!!) and he made his various sorted piles and came into the livingroom where I said I'd show him the files I created. He asked where the dentist one would go. I said, "Well, it's alphabetical, so..." He thought that was silly. I asked him how he would do it, as opposed to the filing system that most of the world uses for everything (alphabetical) and he said, "In order of importance." Do you feel my pain?

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  17. "Well, you know how that goes ..." hahah!

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  18. I wonder if it's the little wooden two drawer I sent to the thrift shop a while ago? Of course it isn't, but I was asked when I disposed of the oak file for a pressed board two drawer. It was a lovely old file cabinet, but too heavy for me now. I could barely open the drawers.

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  19. Glad you're getting some sun. We are too and I couldn't be happier. Our chickens love table scraps. They look at me in disappointment when I give them scratch instead of scraps. I understand how you feel about paperwork and mail at home. Having been a secretary all my working life...I can not stand to answer the phone or make phone calls at home. I hate it! :)

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  20. Sunshine is wonderful. Glad to hear your chickens are laying. Mine are still not laying even though were in the 60s everyday. Scooter is so cute.

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  21. Paper work can really be the pits. Glad you are trying to get a handle on that. Glad your girls are giving you fresh eggs too. We are finally warming up here and all the snow is melting and we might even hit in the high 60's this week. That is going to feel so good to us. Have a great new week. xoxo

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  22. The thing about paperwork is if you don't keep on top of it you'll get buried in it. I try my best to keep on top of it as comes in. It's hard no doubt as it seems to never stop coming in. I found a 4 drawer wooden (Painted blue) filing cabinet (looks homemade) about 15 years ago. I saw it from across the store and ran to it before anyone else could get to it. We got it into our car which was a miracle in itself and drove it home from another state. I bought hanging files for it and went about organizing all our paperwork. I love it. Plus all the storage it provides is invaluable.

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  23. Scooter is such a good name for a cat.

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  24. Paperwork is ridiculous. We get so much of it... and hard to keep up with. I have several filing areas... and have changed my system many times. No matter what I do, (and I keep all of it) it takes me a while to figure out what I did with it.
    And I had to laugh when you said that your chickens get the left-overs. Here the feral cats and raccoons get ours. And weirdly enough, the cats love bread and pasta and the raccoons should be diabetic as they love sweets.

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