On my own

Progress -- At 2 a.m., I managed to get my recycling and compost bins out for city pickup. Then I went to bed and slept till about 10 a.m. I struggle to fight my natural tendency to be a night owl.

For breakfast, I ate part of an extremely stale bowl of cereal before deciding to compost it. Elaine and I have collected a huge plastic bin full of cereals over the past few days. Obviously some will need to be thrown out.

Today, working alone, I have cleaned all of the counters and the stove top and burners with soap, water and elbow grease. I have also washed tons of stuff in the sink -- now that I can access the sink! I also wiped off my small appliances and rearranged them. I hung six hooks over the sink to hold various cleaning utensils. I cleaned and sorted pots and pans storage area.

Finally, I cooked a tofu stir fry on a burner on my now clean stove. It was good and healthy -- and there is enough left over for a second meal.

I poured out a number of out-of-date protein and green supplements. I have ten jillion tea bags in every imaginable flavour, but I don't know what to do about them. Eventually, I donated the unopened packages to the local food bank.

Work in other rooms -- I have been washing clothes and linens and placing those suitable for recycling in bags for charity. I have started more boxes of books for recycling.

Mood -- This is becoming more difficult. It is easy to part with some things, but I am having trouble with others. Some are brand new items that I haven't yet used. Others were my mother's and I feel an attachment to them. I have many versions of some items -- colanders, strainers, cutting boards -- but I am having trouble getting rid of some of the extras. I think I may need to do this in stages.

Elaine sent me her dream description of my kitchen -- and a tea party with my daughter. It sounds wonderful, but I fear it is beyond my reach. I think Elaine mentioned having all of my counters clear of items. I don't think I can do that.

I wanted to clean out the refrigerator tonight, but my energy has disappeared. That job will have to wait. It is useless to mop the floor until after I have cleaned out the refrigerator.

Lost Treasure Found -- On Day 1, I found my iPhone at the bottom of a basket of dirty (or clean?) clothes. On Day 2, we found an unwashed gas royalty cheque for $400. On Day 3, we found a camera battery and memory card. I still need to find my driver's license and health card, but I think they are underneath a pile of computer parts and papers in the living room.