June 4, 2025
I love when I walk into someone’s home an immediately see information that let’s me know where they stand on things that are important to me. Especially lately, indicators of safe spaces are appreciated it. I believe Anita Hill too. I trust and believe Black women.
Last week, I had the honor of touring the site for @evergreenmeadowacademy. Over 30 acres of land for structures and grounds, which will become a place for therapeutic interventions for middle-school girls with trauma backgrounds.
We are talking about classrooms, dorm rooms, academic/ therapy buildings, outdoor trails, physical and mental health wellness areas, kitchen gardens, animal assisted therapy and much more. The entire campus will feature cottages dedicated to mental health, administration as well as arts and movement.
Team Call Sheilah!, with the help of our generous clients, has been supporting this effort since the beginning with all kinds of resources. In addition to fundraising dollars, we`ve provided outdoor furniture, housewares, kitchen stuff, school supplies, baby supplies, laundry supplies and more.
The fundraising dollars support the mission and the goods support the families who are participating in EGMA programming (already in operation before the physical space is complete).
Check them out and reach out to Call Sheilah! if you want more information about how to support this endeavor. In September there is a volunteer day at the new site so watch this space or @evergreenmeadowacademy to learn more.
#EverGreenMeadow
#MentalHealthHealing
#CallSheilah
#SupportCommunityBuilding
#MoveInMoveOutSpecialists
We had fun in this basement...a continuation of the unpacking gig in Columbia County last month.
The job was to set up shelving, so that we could "unpack" everything that was still in boxes, and relocate/repack them into plastic bins. Great idea because of the humidity in the basement. Those boxes would get moldy and smelly in no time and turn everything into a future nightmare.
So, we assembled shelving, repacked items into bins, labeled the bins, labeled the shelving and cleaned up the basement.
The shelves were designated as: Christmas, Kitchen, Memories, Grandchildren, Crafts/Sewing and not featured, the flower arranging room as the client is a master gardener. She also had the basement professionally cleaned prior, but as we all know, basements like this -- part of it still the original foundation from the early 1800`s -- will continue to provide dust and humidity til the end of time or remodel, whichever comes first.
We appreciated how smart the client was in thinking things through, and also appreciated that she bought lunch and cookies.
#WeDoThat
#MoveInMoveOutSpecialists
#RelocationProjectManagement
#PackUnpack
This past weekend we helped unpack a family, who just relocated from California.
We were shocked about how their professional packers actually packed these people. There was so much waste of paper; of bubble wrap and wasted space inside boxes. They wasted so much of this family`s resources. With a bit more care and thought, the waste would have been minimized.
But more infuriatingly, they didn`t use packing supplies, where they should have.
In this collage, photo number one, is our favorite packing tool: shrink wrap. We use it to wrap odd shaped items, furniture, small bureaus to hold drawers closed and a myriad of other uses. Yes, we often go overboard because it is weirdly satisfying (photo 4 is a wrapped spice tray...seriously well wrapped).
We also use it when packing entire "junk" drawers. If we had packed this job, the stuff in photos 2 and 3 would have been shrink wrapped. We also wrap silverware in their silverware container/tray, spices in their spice rack (Photo 4) so that things can just get dropped into their new drawer or space, without too much hassle.
These packers didn`t wrap any of the small items. They didn`t use paper. They didn`t use shrink wrap. They just tossed it all into boxes. Not good.
That was surely an unnecessary blunder. We ended up having to scrape the bottom of boxes for all of the small things found in "junk drawers" and office supply containers.
If your professional packers do not have a roll of shrink wrap as part of their professional packer tool kit, ask them to get some. It will make the unpack just that much simpler.
#CallSheilah
#WeLoveShrinkWrap
#PackUnpack
#MoveInMoveOutSpecialists
Remaining items are mostly free. Bring a bag or two and fill your bags. Admission fee $10.
Some exclusions at the discretion of owner.
These photos are the beginning and end of a project we worked on in Columbia county. We are very proud of this one and it connects to the client whose Google review says "WE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO CALL SHEILAH MORE." (Who doesn`t love hearing that?)
First there were nearly 5,000 books. Then there were none. Actually, then there were 500 (which were packed for their move across the country.)
We can gratefully say that most of the books went with an entity that will treat them with respect, as this was decades of work by an academic, and it was clear, he loved those books, publications, and papers as much as he loved his family. Apparently, there is no such thing as too many books. Who knew?
Seemed to us that the only thing he loved more than both, were his dogs.
We enjoyed them and all, even during the stressful times of a job that started in February, and moved all the way through to junk haul, cleaning, staging, listing and selling. We worked closely with the realtor after the house was clean. She tells us that the sale will go to closing soon.
#AndScene
#CallSheilah
#MoveManagement
#ProjectManagement
#StartToFInish
Sometimes, we will tell clients that their adult children, who are storing things in their basement, should either be paying storage fees or should come get their treasures.
Of course, during these miserably cruel and hard times, where people are struggling in multiple ways, including financially, we always ask if the adult children are gainfully employed and thriving.
If the answer is "yes, my daughter is a named partner in a law firm" or something like that, then yeah, 20 years of storage, at approx $200/month, is a lot of free storage rent (nearly $50k, give or take).
#DontEnableYourAdultChildren
#DontEnableYourAgingParents
#EasierSaidThanDone
#CallSheilah
#WeHaveOpinions
This was so fun. Thanks Hudson Mohawk Magazine @hudsonmohawkmag
and Marsha Lazarus for doing great research and asking fun and curious questions.
#SupportIndependentMedia
#CallSheilah
#SupportLocalSmallBusiness
#BusinessWithIntegrity
(All three pieces are scheduled to be aired during the Hudson Mohawk Magazine news hour (6 to 7 pm), during which five different pieces are aired.
You can listen to the live broadcast on WOOC 105.3 FM (and each is repeated the following morning at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. tomorrow).
You can also access it via livestream at https://www.mediasanctuary.org/initiatives/sanctuary-radio/
Or you can find links tmrw on the website.)
Today`s Find.
A client with a good comedic sense and a smart and important pop culture icons in their collections.
#HighAnxiety
#AbbieNormal
#CallSheilah
#DownsizeRightsize
#WeGotJokes
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