Hi again, James!  This is another continuation of my previous message to you:

JB>  There comes a point - when a collection of feral cats
JB>  breaks one-hundred - that you might be in over your head.


          When Dallas & I were first married we had friends with two
dogs & two cats.  It seemed like a lot to us.  But then, a few years
later, we realized we also had two dogs & two cats.  They sneak up on a
person one at a time....  ;-)



JB>  Sure, I have my share of thread in my house, but it isn't
JB>  in a congealed mass of a variety of colours each lasting
JB>  three-feet or less. I suspect yours isn't either


          Correct.  At present I have one bit of thread about a foot long
which I'll probably use within the next week or two for some project where
the colour doesn't really matter, plus a few scrap ends which I left on my
needles to make them easier to locate in the pincushion.  The rest is on
spools.  I don't claim to be Susie Housekeeper & neither do you... I
imagine that's one of the reasons we get along.  But I can't help wondering
what goes on in other people's minds.

          As I was struggling to understand how a person might end up with
such a congealed mass, I thought to myself "I presume James is
referring to ordinary sewing thread... not embroidery thread or knitting
wool or something else which usually comes in skeins."  Then I did a
bit of research to ensure my concept of "skein" is more or less
in agreement with standard usage.  According to my GAGE CANADIAN DICTIONARY
a skein is a "loosely organized bundle".  Okay, that's what I
meant.  But there is another definition too... "a confused
tangle".  With the passage of time the former could change
imperceptibly into the latter as people try to save space and/or redirect a
few spools to a different function....  :-)



JB>  I know you would concur, or at least I hope you could
JB>  tell if you had a compulsion on the note.


          I'd like to think so, anyway....  :-)



JB>  I have more scraps of cedar than I'd likely ever use,
JB>  but I just might build a sauna, or shingle something
JB>  with it. I too have to be realistic with my endurance
JB>  when gathering the stuff up, and mostly, while
JB>  fabricating something out of it.

JB>  It's a series of decisions that are very foreign to
JB>  me, in what to squander, and what to let go of and when.


          Uh-huh.  With chronic pain you can't do all the things you used
to... so you have to make some adjustments.  But what's realistic &
what isn't?  Your present condition may or may not improve.  IMHO it's a
good idea not to acquire a lot more stuff than you expect to be able to use
within the near future.  Who knows what the future will bring, though, with
regard to what you already have? Building a sauna or shingling something
takes time & effort.  Discarding scraps of cedar also takes time &
effort.  Seems to me it's difficult either way.  But I'm glad to see you
thinking in terms of "I have more than I'll probably need",
rather than "I'll never be able to do xxx or yyy again as long as I
live".  :-)



JB>  With practice, I know I am getting better at it,


          Ditto.  Hold that thought....  :-))



JB>  but realistically, I know full well that I suck at it.


          Hmm... I could say the same, but it seems to me the marking is
highly subjective.  Do people who would just bulldoze the place receive
A's?  Do those who exclaim "You *can't* get rid of *that*... it's too
pretty!" receive failing grades?  What about those whose visible
living space is so painstakingly neat & tidy that you daren't touch
anything because you might mess it up, but who also admit in moments of
rare candour that they spend a full day each year unloading the bedroom
closet in order to get at the Christmas decorations?  Realistically I think
we have to decide for ourselves what works for us.  As an introvert, as a
"P" person, and/or as an intuitive person you'll probably take
awhile to make up your mind about such things.  Unless they understand your
priorities, others may not be able to help much.  I may seem slow of
thought, word, and deed while they seem to thoroughly enjoy clearing the
decks.  I'm no more likely to change than they are, so I often feel I'm on
a long & lonesome road too... [wry grin].




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+