REDUCING THE LOAD

A collectiholic, such as myself, finds it difficult to reduce the "stuff" we collect. I'm a paper nut and many of my collections involve paper. But, on-line, with this blog, I get to collect "stuff" that doesn't pile up, such as cures for hiccups or favorite poems, and strange-sounding names. Yesterday Elaine May from Canada sent me another sure cure for hiccups.  "I take a few drops of balsamic vinegar. It works every time," claims Elaine. And a neighbor reminded me that a cure for poison oak grows all around us. Simply make a tea of manzanita leaves and drink it once a week in the spring and you won't be affected by poison oak. Another neighbor swears by delicately biting the leaves off a poison oak plant (only in the early spring) and swallowing it. A sure preventive if it doesn't kill you.
And from my other blog comes this old remedy from Homer Maas. "I smashed my thumb in the car door. It swelled like a mini-balloon and I lay in misery all night with it throbbing, and throbbing. In the morning my dad carefully took a paperclip, half unbent it, and heated the pointed end red-hot with a torch. While I cringed with fear, he carefully "drilled" a hole into the top of my thumb nail with the heated end of the paperclip until blood spurted out of the hole. The pressure was immediately relieved and the pain was instantly gone."  Homer was only 12 years old then and he lived through it.
I've been asked how long I'll be staying in Murphys by so many people, I thought I'd explain. I rerouted away from the Motor Home to attend, graduations, my family reunion and business at home. Most of that business involves paperwork and ridding myself of collections.  I'm simplifying my life to handle everything from the road. Lining up accounts for bill paying on-line and doing neglected projects. Then things like a Jury summons and other responsibilities intervene.  I removed propane tanks at one rental because they don't use propane anymore. Supervising yard work that needed to be done. Small repairs made. Reducing the load. It's a small epiphany when I can find a home for old sheet music which a piano teacher friend,  June Foster gladly took. A table and lamp and kitchen stuff for my daughter's new apartment. I off loaded my old vinyl record collection, and so on. I'm far from finished, but making steady progress. Simplifying and reducing the load FEELS SO GOOD. Jim is encouraging me to bring some of my paper projects aboard.  (He knows not what trouble he is getting into, and, I still don't know when I'll be leaving Murphys.)