Now that I'm feeling less guilty about the planned shrub removal.... What's the best removal method? According to my mother (who coincidentally recently saw a PBS program that covered this topic) the best method is to use a truck and tow chain because digging won't remove enough of the roots. The truck isn't a problem: I have a 4wd 1/2 ton -- and access to bigger vehicles if necessary. I'm sure I can borrow a tow chain. (Probably the most difficult part of planning the extraction will be avoiding having the truck keys end up in the hands of anyone with a "y" chromosome. I can just see the whole thing ending as a nightmare version of "Home Improvement.") Any other suggestions for getting rid of older, overgrown yews? If I pull them out, should I saturate the ground first? Any cautions? (I've been towing horse trailers for years, so on the pulling part I'm ok.) Lorree

Of course if you just need "permission" to toss some things in the trash, you've got it. But, since you're having a lot of feelings of pressure and craziness with stuff--which I've had too--and you probably don't really love putting large amounts of stuff in the trash--another thing is to take a deep breath and see what's driving you to the gotta-trash-it-now feeling--so you're less likely to get frustrated. Are you making too complicated a plan for give-aways? Is it a big ordeal to get to a donation station, or are you trying to pack too carefully, or what? Because if you've got a whole bag or box to toss, what's keeping you from driving it over to a donation station? What do you think you will "get" out of putting it in the dumpster? Is it just that you want to make the fewest steps between "deciding" to toss, and getting it gone, so that you think you will make more progress than if you put things in a box in your trunk? My biggest trash-toss impulses are when I've just got some little thing, or one last thing, that's bugging me, maybe that would finish off a de-cluttering project, and I don't want to "wait" for a full box, or whatever it is I think justifies a trip; or sometimes, those un-categorizable "things" that you can't imagine the donation center would want. But overall it is very easy for me to drop things off, and they take a single sack, bags, boxes, whatever, don't paw through it, so it's pretty low stress to take stuff there. I also have tried to "save up" stuff for the church rummage sale (twice a year). If given a choice, I'd rather it create funds for our church projects (if sold) rather than take it to Goodwill. But, at times that can cause me similar reaction to what you've posted--I don't want to keep it around for 4 months until the sale. So my main "guilt" is taking things to Goodwill monthly, or on any Saturday when I've got a few things, rather than saving it up for a the rummage sale. This became more necessary when one of my kids moved back home and so I can't stash boxes in her room any more for awhile. So in the past year or so I have just taken everything to Goodwill. So, don't waste time feeling guilty, but do take a moment to see how you can help yourself get back into a system that works for you.

I'm in much the same boat. As you know, I'm a frugal character, but that's not the issue with me - it's "wasting" Precious Petroleum. Plus adding to pollutants. And global warming. As I've said, part of my reason for fixing my 19-year-old car last year instead of scrapping it, at higher cost than I'd paid for it, was the amount of energy used, plus additions to global warming and pollution that are required to build a new car, and the proportion of another old car that I'd be using instead of fixing mine, that I believed would have quite a number of miles left in it. My Dad, a farmer, had trouble breathing in this part of the country over 60 years ago, so pulled up roots and moved to the west, where he had about exactly 40 good years of life, healthy. And liked his new life. I plan a trip through MI, WI, MN, ND to Sask for a family reunion (mother's side) at my brother's in early July. I'd hoped at one time to travel to British Columbia in June, visitng old colleagues and friends, but that's not going to happen. I'd thought once to maybe drive daughter back to AZ from the reunion (she booked her flight Phoenix - Minneapolis - Regina/return last week): would take too long away from work to drive. (Gosh, it's nice to be retired ... and enjoying continuing good health's a bonus). I'm to attend a reunion of former Korea missionaries in NC at the end of July, then visit niece's family in NW GA. It was at that gathering 3 years ago that, after a discussion of U.S. foreign policy, I approached one of the presenters, saying that it has seemed to me increasingly since 9-11, that had the U.S. treated Israel and the Palestinians much more even-handedly during the last 55 years plus ... ...that those planes would have never hit those towers. Looking at me searchingly, he asked whether our talk was off the record. When I asssured him that it was, he replied, "I agree with yu ... 100%", with some emphasis. To add to my dilemma ... my daughter has invited me to her "new" home in AZ to celebrate my 80th birthday next Jan. By plane? - hard on fuel, but I'll probably do that, for I don't have others to visit while in that area. To drive? - (my little car, standard tranny, that costs down hills and to yellow lights, though some say it's illegal)? I plan to do it ... but with some compunctions. We're stealing our grandkids' heritage (of which I have none). I could go to brother's on the bus ... but want to run around visiting friends. I may ride with others to NC - but then have trouble getting to my niece's. I could ride the bus to AZ next Jan ... and may well do that ... but daughter (different generation) takes for granted that it's to be by plane. Actually, I bussed to Edmonton (over 2,000 mi.) when that niece was married in '85 ... then rode with Dad back to Ont, when he came on his annual pilgrimage to visit friends and relatives. Actually ... I don't have much of a dilemma, for I'm going to make those trips, if I continue in good health. But I'll feel some guilty while doing it: one of the dilemmas of life. God trusted this precious world into our hands, to use its resources carefully , wisely and for the benefit of all: does S/He love some more than others? Not according to the Bible that I read. Not only that - my version of common sense says the same thing. Good wishes to all of you for a lovely spring weekend. ole joyful P.S. Sure am thankful that I got my driver's licence retreaded! o j

Hehehe... *envy* I only have one, she will be 3 at the end of Oct. She's in daycare, and I take her in (DH is in a vanpool for his work)... then drive an hour to work. So I'm essentially gone 6:45am - 6:00pm every day. Doing just about anything other than basic cleaning/tidying during the week is difficult, except for the odd occasion when I have a day off but daycare is still open -- and then I don't want to do jobs, I only want to spend an extra day with DD. We're planning to paint a dining room and guest bedroom SOME TIME before the end of the year, and will probably have her spend a Fri & Sat night with my parents. That's a 3-way win. They get to have time with her, she gets to have time with them, and DH and I can actually do things that don't require us to be home OR quiet in the evening. :) (BTW, I would normally hire out that paint job but our dog is super territorial/protective. If we gate him, he will either jump it, climb it, or bark incessantly. He won't bite anyone, but will stay about 10 ft away and bark non-stop. If we close him in another room, he will bark & scratch up the doors/walls. He's fine with just us, but SUPER protective of his "turf"... little %&$* cost me my cleaning lady because she couldn't stand the non-stop barking...)