I agree with Tatoulia and others about that comment that Tillie made on April 12: "I have found that when I have finally decided to let go of something I liked and used and had for a long time that it is because I have changed and it is now time for me to move on." Very powerful comment, Tillie. Jess and Tatoulia, your comments in your posts today reiterate the truth in Tillie's April 12th comment; such encouraging posts!

Tatoulia, I'm sorry you've been having pain and swelling; glad to know that the pain has decreased!

Iced tea clinks, Roxie!

Good morning :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
Your posted thoughts today show just how much you have changed.
Feeling relief from the burden of being caretaker of all the stuff when you release items.
Having fond memories of the items you have purged but not wanting to have them back.
Along with the open space in your home you also have the openness and freedom in your mind and spirit.
(((hugs))) :)

Hi Jess :)
Sounds like you have had a wonderful start to this lovely Spring day.
Hope you find the perfect drapes and relax and enjoy the fresh new look they will add to your home.

Home nurse will be by later today.
I need to do the usual daily tidying up tasks.
Make my bed, scoop litter boxes, sweep, wash some dishes, etc...
Maybe should run the vacuum.
Maybe should do some laundry.
Went to sleep last night with a headache and woke up with a headache today so I am planning to try to relax more and stop worrying about not getting around to doing some things.
All the important stuff has been getting done. :D

So, what Spring flowers are starting to bloom in your area?
My Iris are just now starting to send up flower stalks. :D

It's a beautiful feeling when you can let something go and feel relief. For me, I had to experience getting things out of my house and reclaiming my space and all of those good feelings to really let it sink in what all of this "stuff" was costing me. Slowly as I purged the "stuff" from my life that feeling of relief got stronger and started to replace feelings of panic and guilt. It's still something I am working on but I'm in such a better place already. Truly didn't think I could feel this free in my own home :)

Today I kept to the routine and added a morning hike with the pup. I am soaking up every bit of this beautiful springtime weather before we get to hot hot sweaty days. Beds made, breakfast made and cleaned up after, self spruced up.

Now I'm going to attempt to buy drapes for the kitchen. This has been causing me some stress. Afterwards I plan to organize some papers.

I'll check in later. Have a great day, everyone!

I just realized something. I have some mild regrets about things I've gotten rid of in the last year but there is not one -- NOT ONE -- that I would take back if I could.

Jess, I too am trying to establish some routines. I'm trying to keep bedroom dusted and vacuumed. I'm trying to make it as automatic as making my bed or feeding the kitty.

I am doing my Monday laundry right now and assessing some things for disposal. I have broken my box habit and now am thinking about how packing something up and putting it away is useless at my age. If I'm done, I'm done. I've been working on this for a year and am getting very good at it. I feel relieved when I get rid of something.

I'm starting to feel some mild regrets about getting rid of some random objects but very, very mild. None of these objects was doing me any good.

Wishing everyone a good day.

Brilliant, Tillie, " I have found that when I have finally decided to let go of something I liked and used and had for a long time that it is because I have changed and it is now time for me to move on."


Because I have changed. Brilliant. Thank you. Going to rest some more. Swelling in face has improved since I woke up. No real pain. But wiped out.

Because I have changed. Thank you--shifts focus from the object to me. Honestly. Very helpful.


Love to Tillie, Mr Tillie and everyone else. Thank you for your friendship.

Good morning :)

Hi LR2014 :)
Thank you.
Hope by now you are feeling much better. :)

Hi Roxie :)
I think they are all learning by now that if they want to see me in a pleasant mood they have to quit jerking me around with their "willy Nilly" scheduling. ;)
Thank you for all your very valuable experience.
It has really helped me. (((hugs)))

Hi Jess :)
WAY TO GO!!! for keeping the table and counter clear! :D
A regular routine every day is the only way that my house stays under control.
Even when my schedule is knocked off track by unforeseen events, it is still easier to get it back to normal rather quickly. :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
So sorry to hear about that bad tooth. (((HUGS)))
Hope you are doing much better today.
FANTASTIC job!!! clearing out so much! :D
I have found that when I have finally decided to let go of something I liked and used and had for a long time that it is because I have changed and it is now time for me to move on.
This change has always been a positive thing for me because then I feel that my inner self is more in line with my surroundings. :)

Yesterday I was able to do some gardening!!! :D
Was so wonderful to be outside getting all dirty.
Whiney crybaby man tried to spoil my fun.
I was ignoring him and told him to go find other ways to amuse himself besides demanding ALL my attention.
He survived just fine. ;)
Hoping today is another uneventful, peaceful relaxing day.
Fingers crossed. :)

Hello, everyone, had a rough couple of days. Thought it was sinus infection but instead bad tooth. Luckily saw dentist this AM. face still swollen terribly but pain is gone.

Tillie I feel for you. Write when you can


Good to read everyone's posts. This week I got rid of a few things when my sister visited, so that was nice. Can't remember if I told you that or not. Only had a few minutes to see her. Got a bg together for goodwill. Gave away a lamp I've loved and have gotten a lot of compliments on. Since I have cleared off surfaces in bedroom, felt in could let the lamp go. Luckily my sister really liked it so I've passed it on to her.


Going to change sheets and do some laundry. Swelling in face bad, hard to talk. But pain gone.

Keep up the good work, everyone.

Hello everybody! Beautiful day here! Great day for porch sweepin, which I DID :)

I've been working on establishing a morning routine. My mom was telling me how she is so much more productive when she gets up and gets herself ready for the day so I want to get my own morning routine fired up. Today I ate breakfast, cleaned up what I used in the kitchen, made the bed and got myself cleaned up. It felt really good :)

Husband and I started cleaning the garage and he decided to finally go buy a tool box, one of those big organizer things. This is huge because his tools are always an issue and we can never find what we need. He's out shopping right now. Woo hoo!

The kitchen counter and table have been clear for 3 days now. Trying to keep that going!

Tatoulia - Just a girl with a hoard hehehe :) Glad to hear you've cleared some spaces for yourself! And stopping the acquiring! I told myself I gotta use that thread on here to keep mine in check. Very nice to meet you!

Sorry, Tillie. I'm glad at least that he didn't have to stay in the hospital. The best laid plans of mice and men . . . Hugs.

Hello :)

My plan for today was to do cat tasks, do some laundry, do some gardening and wash my hair.

What I did do all day today was to take him back to the hospital.

He's back home tonight.
More meds and more instructions for me to follow.

Fingers crossed. ;)

Hi Roxie :)
I have a calendar and a note pad where I jot down appointments and To-Dos.
Problem is that he makes and breaks/reschedules appointments on his cell phone and then forgets to mention this to me.
I try to do everything if and when I have to drive anywhere but there is always some other little thing that I have to go and fetch, usually some medicine.
This makes it hard to schedule in any housework, gardening or rest & recreation for myself.
Fortunately, things are moving forward and improving with him so it is all starting to settle down. :D

Hi LR2014 :)
WAY TO GO!!!! getting those tasks done! :D
Happy you are feeling a bit better now, don't over do it. (((HUGS)))

Yesterday was GREAT!
Only one visiting therapist here later in the day.
She was an occupational therapist and I told her we don't need her help.
After her evaluation, she agreed with me.

I was able to rest and even do some beadwork and watch some movies.
This morning I woke up at 6:00am and decided to lay down for a little longer, woke up at 8:30am!

My plan for today is to cook some foods for me that I can freeze and then eat like frozen tv dinners whenever I get hungry.
No appointments are scheduled for today so maybe nothing will come up to change my plans.

Tomorrow it will be the home nurse and physical therapist again. Really nice people, I like them. :D

Need to find time to schedule in some cats that need Veterinarian check ups.

Wishing you all a wonderful day.
Take time to enjoy the Spring. :)

Well, as you can see, I didn't "post several times" yesterday after all. I did get several simple cleaning tasks done (some laundry done, some bathtub cleaning, and a few other things). I feel much better physically than I did a couple of days ago.

Roxie, I know you've been back here for quite a while now, but I still keep thinking to myself when I see your posts, "It's sooo good to see Roxie back!"

Tillie, I do hope you got some good rest Tuesday night after all that work! I hope you also got to do some nice things for yourself today.

Hugs to everybody!

Good morning :)

My plan for today is to rest & relax and not do anything more than the usual daily maintenance/tidying up around here.

Might work on a craft/hobby or get out in my seriously neglected garden.
Maybe prepare a proper meal for myself.

HAHAHAHA....
Like that is going to happen.

I will continue to do what I have been doing since the beginning of March.
Handle things one at a time as they come up.
And they do tend to come up frequently every day. :D

Hi LR2014 :)
Thank you (((hugs)))
Yes it is hard to schedule and then remember all the appointments and different people, their names and jobs.
Hope you feel better real soon. :)

Well, all my plans were knocked out of whack.
Physical therapist here this morning and Nurse here about 1:00pm.
I had to make a trip to the drug store to get him some stuff.
Anyways.....
As if I don't have enough to do, now I have to deal with MRSA.
When I cleaned his bedroom before he came back home I just removed all trash/garbage, dirty clothes and dishes/food containers.
All his "stuff" was left in there all around the edges, just a clear spot through the middle of the room for walking.
Hard/impossible to eliminate contamination with so much stuff in there.

Happy news is that finally I got some housework done in the rest of the house! :D
Bathroom all clean.
Floors all washed.
Carpet all vacuumed.
Lots & lots of really dusty stuff all nicely dusted.
One load of rags & rugs washed & hanging out to dry.
Some stuff sorted out and put away where it belongs.
I feel so much more at peace in here.

I should sleep well tonight. :)

Tillie, I remember the days (when taking care of an elderly parent) when the therapists and other health care workers were coming in and out, in and out. (I'm not complaining about therapists nor any of the other health care workers, by the way . . . they were very helpful.) I remember that simply keeping track of who was coming and when was a chore in and of itself! Hugs! I hope you get rest in the midst of all this!

Empty shelf space. What a nice ring that has to it, Tatoulia! Keep up the great work!

I am a bit under the weather today, so I'm having a slower day than originally planned. The upside of it is that I'll probably get around to posting several short things here during the day. Next task for me is to wash out the bathtub.

Hugs to everyone.

Hi Roxie :)
(((hugs))) take care Sweetie.
Tea toast. ;)

Hi Jess :)
Thank you.
WAY TO GO!!!! having the dryer vent cleaned! :D
Hope your shopping and bathroom cleaning went fast and easy.

Hi Tatoulia :)
You have done FANTASTIC! getting to where now you can maintain cleared & cleaned areas while still moving forward with your progress! :D

Hi :)
To everyone else.
When you get the chance, please let us know what you are up to.
(((hugs)))


Spent all of yesterday in the car driving around Reno to get him to three Drs. appointments.
By the time I got home I was completely exhausted.
The physical therapist will be by this morning.
MY plans for today are...
To clean this long over due, neglected filthy house.
Sweep and wash floors.
Clean and sanitize the bathroom.
Remove thick layers of dust that's coating everything.
Vacuum the carpet.
Wash & wipe off as many surfaces, items and areas as I can.
Wash rags and throw rugs.
Due to all the neglect since I have been busy dealing with his issues, my home is really a biohazard.
BUT... I will fix that today. :D

TTYL ;)

Hi Jess. I'm just a girl with a hoard! Same old story! Decreased massive amounts, still more to go, but enough gone that I can report empty shelf space and I'm working on maintenance things like vacuuming and dusting. Stopped acquiring and am working hard on letting even more stuff go.

Keep up the good work!

Roxie, I hope you feel better really soon ((hugs))

Tille, I'm glad to hear the truck is working. Sounds like you have an awful lot going on but no surprise to me you are handling it with great strength. And you still come here to support others. You are awesome! Please remember to take care of yourself too! ((hugs))

Hello Tatoulia! I'll have to keep reading up since I've been away so long. I'm not sure what your story is but I hope things are going well for you :)

Today I had a the dryer vent professionally cleaned. Noticed it was taking longer to dry the clothes. Guy told me what else to look out for in the future so now I feel much better about that situation.

I also need to grocery shop today and clean my bathroom. Not too bad!

Oh Roxie, I hope you get some strength back and that you aren't tired all the time. Do you think the adjusted medication is making you tired? Do take good care of yourself. Coffee clink.

Hi Jess :)

Tell those spiders that they are not allowed on the porch or inside the house.

I have a spider relocation program where when I find one inside I scoop it up in a glass and put it in the yard, where it is free to do whatever spiders do.

We have to draw the line somewhere or we would all end up living with bugs, birds, bunnies, snakes and all sorts of wild creatures in our houses. :D

Hello :)

Hi LR2014 :)
Thank you, hugs back.
Only one quick trip into town to get a new battery and now the truck is running! :D
Already have it 1/3 full of trash for the dump.
Looks like tomorrow all I have to do is wash some dishes, no car trips anywhere, YIPPEE!!!

Hi Tatoulia :)
You made me LOL since I can sooooo relate to that "Jerk" comment. ;)
Thank you for being here. You have been a great support and comfort to me.
(((HUGS)))

Wishing the Easter Bunny would bring me some peanut M&Ms and carob coated malted milk balls.
He can keep the Peeps. :D

Hello everyone! Nice to meet you, Jess. I've been here just under a year and the early days are a blur so I'm not sure if we've met, but I'm glad you are here.

Tillie, I know this is a tough time in your life. I wish I could do something other than sending you strength. I know that when I used to have to take care of my brother on a daily basis it was just so hard. He was resistant to help from anyone or anything other than from me, and it took a lot out of me. Plus he was a jerk 99% of the time. I love you and I support you.


I will write more later. I'm glad to see so many people posting! Missing Diane and Dianne.

Much love to all.

Whew, Tillie. Sounds exhausting. So sorry about the lilacs. Hope things went well with the truck work. Lots of hugs.

Good morning :)

When I got back home after his appointment yesterday I was exhausted.
Could barely stay awake.
Didn't do anything around the house.
The house has been very neglected these last weeks.
Dust is thick in here.
Won't be cleaning house this weekend because with the help of a friend I will be working on a truck to get it up & running.
Need the truck to make trips to the dump and metal recycling place since I am the one who now has to disassemble his hoard.
This next week I will be busy driving him 150+ miles round trip to more medical appointments.
Don't know when I will have the time to clean the house.
Dishes and laundry have been being kept up and that's about all.
Will wash out the cat's litter boxes sometime today.
Had a freeze over night and lost all my lilac blooms. :(

Wish I had more energy and fewer aches & pains in this old body of mine. :)

So, what are you doing today?
Hope you have some fun planned you can tell me about. :D

LR, Tille, Roxie - Thank you! It's good to see familiar people still posting and working on things :)

LR I promise I don't remember a spelling error at all! lol Even if I saw one I wouldn't hold it against you, I swear!

So, my husband has been out of town for work for the week and I have a little more cleaning I'd like to do before he comes back tonight. I'm proud of myself though for keeping things in good order while he was away. It's harder for me when I don't have an audience.

I want to do the floors and wash the couch coverings. Also, in the spirit of honesty and working on myself I'll say that I did not sweep the porch yesterday like I intended. I got the fridge and some laundry done though.

Upon some reflection I realized I've been avoiding the porch because of the spider webs. They creep me out but also I feel really bad busting up their little spider homes. BUT I'm learning I can't put the imaginary feelings of spiders ahead of keeping up with the house.

Good luck with your tasks today everyone!

And speaking of OCD, Jess.you must be doing better on that front (the OCD front) than I am. After I saw your post this morning, I'd started thinking about an OCD-related discussion you and I had had. I found the post, reread what I wrote to you, and then I discovered a spelling error I had made in that post. Oh, no! I was mildly obsessed with trying to figure out how I could correct my over-a-year-old spelling error! Too funny.

Hi, Jess!!! Great to see you again!!

Oh, this is "What am I doing today" so...

Today I am doing laundry, cleaning out the fridge, and sweeping the front porch.

I want to decorate our front porch now that the weather has broken. Nothing too crazy, just a couple planters to make it look more pretty and inviting.

Hi guys! Does anyone remember me? I'm going to do some reading to catch up.

I think when I posted last my husband and I were moving into our first house. Things are good! I regularly see a therapist for my OCD and have learned a great deal about coping with the issues that come with that. I've been able to take on something I was afraid I couldn't handle - We got a dog!! He is wonderful :)

Thank you Roxie and Tillie for sharing even more of yourselves. Although the information itself is upsetting, I love all of the friendships on here and it is great to catch up on your lives. So much to work through.

Wishing everyone on here a wonderful, safe and healthy day. Do what you can and know when to stop.

Whoa, what a loud color I used. Hit the wrong button.

hello everybody

Thank you :)

Yesterday the hospital basically dumped him on me after his 20 day stay in their care.
Gave me a briefcase full of written material and a suitcase full of pills and prefilled syringes.
There is a lot about his medical condition I have not written about here.

Anyways...
now I am a full time nurse and baby sitter with a patient who just does not "Get it" and wants to do all the things that would undo all the progress he's made.

Today I will be taking him to the local lab for a blood test to monitor his Coumadin levels and
arguing with him, again, as to why he can not have a pizza or a bag of chips.

Also, back to the electric issues
Found the problem and fixed it.
Going back up on the roof now to do some preventative maintenance to keep this from happening again.
Need to wash some dishes.
Should do some general cleaning in here but may not have the time or energy.
Cat just vomited on the carpet. Soon as I post this I will clean that up.

My lilacs are slowly starting to bloom and I have been spending time out there smelling them.
Heavenly!

:D

Page 4
It was so very big Sylvie couldn't lift it. So instead she rolled it across the field, just the way you roll big snow balls in wintertime. (In the picture, Wiggy is "helping", as small dogs are wont to do.)
to be continued (and Sylvie will face a challenge)

Just checking in. As you know, I am trying to establish maintenance routines. What I'm trying to incorporate is dusting bedroom furniture and vacuuming bedroom. Just dusted bedroom--also helps to keep me from piling stuff onto dresser. I'm glad to start this as a routine. Have also been going to bed at a decent hour, not napping and getting up on time. It is a relief to actually get something out of my days again.

Tillie, that is a satisfying exhaustion--I am so glad you had help. Tillie, I don't know if he will appreciate it or not, but I certainly appreciate your hard work and dedication and tireless efforts to make a clean, safe home for both of you.

Hope everyone has a great day! I plan to dust bedroom, as part of my weekly maintenance.

Thanks, Tatoulia.

Wow, Tillie . . . sounds like a lot of hard work. Glad you were able to get so much done, though.

Hi Tatoulia :)

HEY EVERYBODY,
two friends came over and together we worked very hard and fast doing a major clear out.
We got a wide path through the carport area all clear.
YEA !!! for us. :D

Tossed all obvious garbage/trash and relocated the other stuff to other areas.
Got filthy doing it.
Cory and his crew would have been impressed with how well and fast we worked together. :D

Hope he appreciates that now he will be able to get into the house when he does come home from the hospital. ;D

Happy Anniversary, LR! Isn't it amazing to look back on the year? Fantastic work!

Hello Tillie, what a tough time. Keep your chin up (easier said than done, I know). Glad to see everyone posting--you are keeping me honest and working and I learn new things from each of you. Thank you!

I am working in a bag if stuff right now--treasures for the people at goodwill. I take my stuff to get rid of it and forget to think that it will go to someone who needs it. I have been relishing the feeling of just shedding the stuff. I will, when wavering over whether to get rid of something, remember that it could do someone some good. So thank you for the re-focus, Roxie.

Everyone, stay well and know that your posts have changed me. I feel better and free and appreciate each and everyone of you.


Missing Diane!!!

Last night about 9:30 the power went all funky again.
So I went to bed and tossed and turned till the wee hours then fell fast asleep.
When I woke up the power was back on. "?"

So, this morning went up on the roof and did some connection/connector cleaning on the drop wires to the house and the house wires they connect to.
Power back on.
Fingers crossed it was the issue.

Just made a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and am taking a breather by being on the internet.

Looks like it will still be more days before he is released from the hospital.
Tomorrow I will make the 150+ mile round trip to Reno and see him in person.
Been doing a lot of phone calls and emails every day.
He is terribly depressed, understandably.
If I could bring him Marty (the cat) I know it would do miracles to cheer him up.

Should get up now and go outside to enjoy the lovely weather here.

:)