thank goodness for cooler weather----love it!!!
Worked outside today Pulled weeds early, trying to fill garbage cart before 7:30 am pick up. Didn't quite fill it but gave it my best shot. Then started on bag for this week. Pulled out a bin with some great decorations, mice agreed, it made it easy to throw almost everything away, a few things they weren't interested in, I donated. Only donated stuff with no evidence of mice and easy to clean hard stuff, like silver and porcelain, easy to toss the rest. Did mostly outside stuff, garage and walkway, cause it is the first cool day, did not want to be inside today. Although some of the areas I emptied and cleaned were not fun, a typical hoarders scene, plenty of mice have enjoyed living in every corner and every box and bin. So happy I am not shopping anymore, imagine what another 20 years of shopping addiction would have created, oh my, thanks for being here daily, makes all the difference.

Tillie: are you in the Reno vicinity? I have a nephew there and we are planning to visit tomorrow. Guess we better keep a watch on wildfire progress and its location.

Well,
I will keep practicing till I get this right.
Thank you for your aptience. ;)

This afternoon the day got very dark and orange colored here.
WILDFIRE. :(
Got my cat kennels all lined up and ready just in case.
Sky is still dark yellow but looks like we are safe here for now.

http://mantherapy.org/#/center

lets see if this works ;)

Dianne,
WAY TO GO! for all you have accomplished.
Feel better soon.In the meantime spend more time laying down with the dogs. :D
Listening to a sleeping animal always puts me to sleep. It is so soothing. :)

Thank you Karl :)

Trying to do too many things at once, and I completely forgot that I had the chat open; oops. I've signed out now. I'll probably be around on Sunday, but a bit late to arrive again.

No social activities at all on the 4th. Didn't look for any fireworks, either.

I just checked to see whether I might be able to avoid getting new drip pans for the stove if I just wash the ones I've got, and replace the aluminum foil that they're wrapped in. I found that one of them has very little metal left in it, and is mostly just the foil now. OK then, I guess replacement is called for. I wonder if it was like that when I moved in, or if it's decayed that much during my own tenancy.

Tillie, for future reference, it's good if you can use the first input field for the URL itself (the http://... part), and then the second one for the text description of the link, so that we know what to expect if we click on it.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLex73JrqI8j6VjXbRGcp0KUUZ5bgn4X8w

Thank you Karl :)
Now I will practice doing this till I get it right.

Everything I know about computers I have learned through the generocity of people online. :D

I don't know if we're still doing the Friday afternoon chat for Kara's benefit (evening in UK), but I'm in the chat room right now in case anyone else joins. (If you do join and I'm there but not responding, I'm probably preparing some food; just be patient and I'll return shortly.)

Tillie, when you're composing a message here, just above the text input box you'll a bar with a couple of font menus on the left, and a row of icons on the right. The next to last icon is "add link".

Good morning :)

So quiet and nice & cool 72 degrees here this morning.

Today I plan to tidy up a little.
Sweep & vacuum.
Go over the bathroom.

Kitchen is clean but house is full of dust.
This last week there were a lot of dust storms so bad sometimes visibility was reduced to 1/8 of a mile.
Makes no sense dusting when everything will be dusty again is a few minutes. lol

That little bit of rain yesterday really helped knock down the dust.

Need to go to the grocery store this weekend so today I will write up my list. Running out of food here except for cat food. Too scared to ever risk running out of cat food. ;)

Hoping everyone had some relaxation and fun yesterday. :D

(((hugs))) Dianne
I was not offended. I took your statement to mean that you loved those professional firework displays with the large fireworks that look like the sky is filled with a massive chrysanthemum.

What I have been worrying about with you is your well water.
So sorry to hear the report.

Thanks Mariana,
THAT'S AWESOME! GO BUCKEYES! ;)

Hi diane,
No, I live about 3 hours away from where that happened. I saw it on the news though. And I'm glad the lady is okay. Thank god for those wonderful firefighters that helped her get out of that giant sink hole. Aren't firefighters wonderful? :)

Hi Tillie,
We had some of those too. :D

It stopped raining for a little while where I live. So we got to shoot off some of the fireworks that my boss got. We didn't get to shoot all of them off though; because it started raining again. So there are still a lot of left over fireworks. :)

HI Everybody! :D

I have had RAIN here! :D
So wonderful!!!!
I went out in it and danced around barefoot and splashed in a small puddle! :D

Hi Roxie :D

Hi MayMay :D
I had a box of those little paper things that you throw down and they go "POP" and some party poppers with paper streamers in them and I did those today and the kitten loved it. :D

Dianne
WAY TO GO! on all you accomplished! :D
I watch the fireworks on tv too. The casinos in Reno really do a great show with music that fits the display.

Hi Diane :D
So happy you are relaxing this afternoon. Please take care of yourself and feel better soon.
Will keep my fingers crossed that costco still has A/Cs and you get yours soon.
WAY TO GO! for all you have accomplished! :D

Diane, I posted about my day on another link here.

Wow, Dianne, when you break a logjam you come out roaring WaY TO GO!@

It is cooler today, 84 now, so was out in the garage and in big bedroom all morning, it is amazing how wide goat trails are becoming. A few days ago all I could see is the mounds, now that is cooler, see all the progress. I looked online at the Costco site, and at the camera I bought for hoarding pictures, only 2 reviews by customers, both said it worked for several pictures but could not turn on again after first time shut off, exactly what happened to me, now feel more comfortable returning camera tomorrow, and getting air conditioner instead, if they still have them. the one I have is fine when it is this temperature and cool at night.
MayMay, are you near where the lady and her car fell in the sink hole today in Ohio? what a shock for her.
I can't help you Tillie, know only what I taught myself about computers. Maybe Karl knows.
I feel more positive today and so happy I can watch fireworks from roof If I want to watch, don't always watch. Have to hang with dog, to make sure she is ok with all the noise. I have a dry cough and have felt run down for 3 days, so am enjoying relaxing this afternoon. Did go through several small boxes of junk, still would like to finish filling garbage can for tomorrow if possible, only about 1/2 full so far, or a little more, don't want to waste space in my 95 gallon cart!! I was only 1/2 filling my 35 gallon cart and for the past 5 weeks I have stuffed 95 gallon, so am happy about that. Felt so good to have cool morning so could get some sorting done. Happy to read all everyone writes.

MayMay-I'm an ol' Buckeye myself! Stay safe and have a fun Fourth.

Hi Mariana,

No, I don't live in any western states. I live in Ohio. And actually all of my firefighter friends know about all the fireworks. Yesterday when my boss came into the bar with all of the fireworks everyone clapped and cheered. Lol. :)

We are really excited! Hopefully it will stop raining by the time that it's supposed to get dark out, so that we can still shoot them off. :)

Let's hope you don't live in a dry-as-dust western state. Those illegal fireworks spark several wildfires every year. Even the legal ones can be deadly. Don't tell any of your firefighter friends about them!

Hi everyone! :D

So far the 4th of July isn't looking so good for me right now. :(

It's very rainy right now where I live and it doesn't look like it's supposed to clear up anytime soon. Which totally sucks because my boss got some fireworks for us to shoot off tonight, but if it's raining, then we can't shoot them off. :(

I'm so sad because the fireworks that he bought are the really good kind. They're the kind that, if you get caught shooting them off, then you'll get arrested. Lol. ;)

Happy 4th to all. The fireworks around here last night weren't all that bad, just steady bang bang bang for about an hour at a reasonable hour. We'll see tonight. It is legal here to buy fireworks and some folks spend a ton of money on it. Silly and dangerous to me.

I might go out later and buy a hot dog and fries...if I'm feeling less lazy.

I know sometime today I'll rally and knock some things of my long list of to do. Probably put away clean dishes and wash up the dirty ones. Round up the laundry and maybe even, what the heck, start a washload? My my what a concept.

Diane, I too rely on this board being active to keep me going.

Hugs to all

Happy 4th of July! :D

We are just relaxing and hanging out at home.

:)

Karl,
would it be possible for you to explain to me how to make clickable links on this site?

:D

The one way that I know to make clickable links does not work here.

Hi Roxie,

Trust me, you wouldn't want me to be a therapist. I'm really screwed up... I suffer from depression and anxiety, I have really bad OCD, I have ADHD, I have suicidal ideations from time to time, and I also have some "hoarding-like" tendencies myself. So yeah... I would not be a good therapist at all. Plus there is no way I would be able to get through all that schooling. I took 2 psychology classes when I was in college and I absolutely hated them. I thought they were so boring.

I note that these Canadian bombing suspects seem to have also needed some help with their living conditions.

Happy 4th of July Cory! :D

HI Cory! :D

Thank you so very very much for giving us this message board and chat room. (((HUGS)))

We miss you but do understand.

Have a HAPPY and safe 4th of July. :D

Hi Everyone,
I want to apologize that I have been absent so much lately. My world has gone crazy lately with the business and trying to juggle too many things. I am hoping that it will soon calm down but with the franchising, it is not looking too promising. We are trying to restructure and I have been traveling back and forth to our other office which has been a huge commitment.

I love seeing how active the message boards have become. This social interaction is incredible and the support you give each other is monumental to say the least. Everyone keep up the great work on your homes and yourselves. You are doing incredible work AND having fun at the same time!

Happy 4th of July to everyone :)

Cory Chalmers
HoardingCleanup.com

Tillie my mouth is watering as you describe your meal!!!! Good you are going to make it happen!!

I have a big craving....
Haven't eaten out in a couple of years but I want to go to a diner or cafe and get a real hamburger.
The old fashioned kind
with the toasted sesame seed bun and the lettuce, tomatoe, pickles and onion sitting on the side of the plate so you can assemble it the way you want it.
Where you have the catsup and mustard bottles on the table and you add it just the way you like best.
One that comes with the lined plastic basket of thick cut sizzling hot fries.
And I would order a chocolate milk shake made fresh in front of me with real ice cream and lots of chocolate syrup. :D

Thinking I need to work on making this happen.

Roxie, WAY TO GO! on getting the garbage out there! :D

Diane, no nail polish, just clipped and cleaned. :)
It was nicer last night and early morning. Glad you got some good rest. Hope we get back to normal temps after today.

Hi Karl :D

MayMay,
they are advertized separately but are the same company, same people.
;D

Maybe it would be possible to work for a generic cleanup company and just request not to be assigned to crime scenes?

So glad to sign on and read your posts, this is a tough project to do without support. Tillie, glad you have a relaxing day planned, it has been a tough week for you, and today will be so much fun for you, red white and blue nails? I watered this morning, then worked in big bedroom for over an hour, see some progress.
Was going to a friends tomorrow, not sure if I will, depends on weather, she doesn't like me to bring dog, and will probably be too hot here for my dog here, turn off AC when I am gone, due to old wiring.
I am more optimistic today, slept with fan on last night and did sleep more.
I need to be ok with moving slower in the heat. I have bagged stuff up, and need to start posting on July challenge, that is always a positive motivator. Thanks for posting on here, sure helps me when I feel so alone in this.

Thanks, Karl

MayMay, "my" cleanup company is predominantly a crime scene cleanup company that got sucked over into hoarding cleanup because he got so many calls for help. There are only two such companies in the whole state that I could find.

The owner/cleaner was my "consultant" and lead worker. I would guess if you work for any company that does biohazard cleanup, crime scenes would be included. Perhaps you'd rather fall into the professional organizer aspect of the whole picture? Or get education and license(s) to do hoarding therapy?

I hope everyone has something nice in mind for the 4th of July. I personally will lay low, play my video game, and try not to mind too much when all the fireworks and such go off. I don't mind early evening noises, but sometimes these folks don't know when to quit.

Yesterday, I did finally round up garbage and wheel it all down to the street, at about 1:00 a.m. I felt relief from my own nagging then.

Hey Tillie,

Oh really? :o

I always thought that he had the "Hoarding Clean-up" and the "Crime Scene Clean-up" separate from each other.

Good Morning :D

It cooled off over night and has been pleasant so far this morning.
Supposed to heat up again into the low 100s today.
Chance of thunderstorms this evening.

Today I am taking the day off for a much needed rest, physically and mentally.
Will give myself a manicure and pedicure. Watch some movies. Relax and eat proper meals.

Long Holiday weekend coming tomorrow.
Wishing you all fun and relaxation.
Remember, even while doing this work you still need to live and love. Eat, drink and be merry. :D

So, anybody have any plans for the Holiday?
I was given some sparklers but can't use them because there are NO outdoor fires allowed around here due to wildfires right now.

Stay cool, stay safe and be happy! :D

MayMay
Cory's company would also have you cleaning up crime scenes. :D

Roxie: Yes, feel free to share the song.

Hi Roxie,

I've never thought about that before; I never even knew that there was such a thing as a "Hoarding Clean-up Consultant". Sounds like a cool idea. :)

Did you meet with a "Hoarding Clean-up Consultant" before your clean-up?

I did look into working for cleaning companies near where I live, that are kind of like Cory's company, but all I could find were crime scene clean-up companies. The crime scene clean-up companies also clean-up hoarded houses. but if I worked for one, then I would also have to clean-up actual crime scenes too. And I don't think I would be able to cleanup an actual crime scene without totally freaking out. :(

What I'd really love to do is move to california and work for Cory. I think it would be awesome to work for him. :)

Since the western Unites States is having a record breaking heatwave
Just staying cool and hydrated is GREAT progress! :D

Everybody has been doing wonderful.
Decluttering items and sorting out emotions and thoughts. WTG!

Been watering plants and can't tell yet what may recover and what is totally dead.
The lilac hedge, mountain laurels, roses, lawn, honeysuckle, chrysanthemums, day lilies, wild currant and trees all show signs of damage but their roots may still be viable. :D
The cat mint (catnip) had left a lot of seeds so that may all reseed itself.
The iris & daffodils are risomes and bulbs so they may come back next Spring.
Time will tell. :D

Roxie,
If it were my photo album/scrap book I would ask the Son if he wanted them.
If he didn't want them or even just parts of them I would have a ceremony and let them go.
Leave painful memories in the past because they keep us from moving on into a healthier future.

Susan, fun to read how you are going about unloading the boxes of stuff. You are doing great.
Roxie, sounds like you are doing the best you can with the health issues. Tillie says to take photos of stuff you want to keep but don't want to keep---you know, in the case of the album, would it fit in your sons room so he could see it later? If it makes you feel bad, has to be somewhere else, or gone they say on here. I Do have trees, just normally cools off at night here, just not this week. The east side has a deck, so sun beats down most of the day, the west side has steps and cement patio then garage, so no tree there. Sun is really hot, guess could have roof there. I have done next to nothing today, and it is ok, still close to 100 out. one more really hot day then supposed to be 85 on Thursday.

SusanL, I'm doing a happy dance (well, in my mind at least; bod won't cooperate) for your adventures in trash hauling. How'd you find the folks, may I ask? I have a big old refrigerator sitting outside that has to go.

I think you plan of action is good and works for you, so keep it up and keep posting. This all seems to work best when we encourage one another, no matter what stage we are at.

LynnS, how is the hives situation and how are you doing? It's been a few days since you posted.

I so much want to respond to each of you individually but I am not sure I am up to it. When I awoke late today, I had a very hard time getting to "normal" (for me)... coughing, struggling to breath, unable to get up and move around more than a few steps at a time. It was hard and scary. The cats inside and out were perturbed by my lengthy "sits" as I worked to be able to feed and water them for the morning.

I am better now, calmer, able to breathe and sit here. And I brushed my teeth while I read and contemplated. I had four days in a row then blew off yesterday, so I'm starting again.

I went out the other day and mowed the front and side yards. When I parked the riding mower and turned it off, I heard loud mewing. I look inside the empty box from the dishwasher (big box) and found a lone, black kitten, maybe 7 days old. Eyes still closed. I had an idea it was one of the feral girls' kitten, but no idea which as neither had appeared pregnant. I presumed it was the Tortie. I held the kitten (how dear it was, curled up happy in my hands) and tried to call mama, to no avail. I dragged out a large cat carrier, put a clean cloth inside and deposited the kitten.

Later when I broke out the food (I drove to Petsmart and loaded up on cat food again), everyone came around. Much to my surprise it was the Tabby who acted like the mother. She was furious that I moved the kitten, grabbed it with her mouth, and tried so hard to jump back into that big box. I was afraid she'd maim the kitten doing so. I stepped inside and peeked out the door window. Mom settled down on the patio with baby and all was well. She has since moved the kitten elsewhere. I don't know if it is an only "child" or what, but it was big and healthy.

I have encountered something I would like feedback on if I may ask? I do not know what to do with a scrapbook and photo albums from my long-defunct marriage. That was all part of my life, and an important part, and it was part of my son's life. But the pain of the divorce is still with me, and I just don't know what to do with the leftovers, if you understand? Anyway, thanks for any thoughts on this type thing.

Dianne, I am happy to see you posting again. Just toss one thing today, and brush your teeth, again, and I'll be happy for you, okay? I totally get withdrawal as a response when you feel down...I do that, too. But don't totally withdraw from here, okay?

Diane, if there are no trees shading your trailer, could you possibly plant one or more that would eventually shade it? I think you can get free trees from that arbor day program. It would cut the heat buildup inside the trailer and you would not have to worry about roots impeding on the building, right? I have way too many trees on my property and wish I could distribute them to you all. I intentionally have some overgrowth for the wild things, but this is ridiculous.

MayMay, perhaps you can start as a hoarding cleanup consultant? I mean, someone could contact you who is contemplating taking that step, you could visit, get an idea of how much the hoard is, what needs to happen, and perhaps act as a facilitator on their behalf with local options, professional cleaners, etc? Could you get a job with an existing professional cleanup company to learn the ropes? You could right now make some simple business cards up to hand out as you go?

Tillie, I am relieved for you to have some cooling and most definitely the water. How is the garden going? Anything survive? I'd sure love to give you free reign on my property.

AnneW, you are doing wonderful work and I love reading your posts.

Karl, love your song. If I may, I'd love to pass it along to my pro cleaner. I think he'd get a kick out of it.

Today is the day I need to wheel my garbage bin to the street, so rounding up and depositing trash is my first goal, then wheeling the bin. It does not sound like much but the trip down to the street and back wears me out.

I've torn a page off my little calendar but I plan on keeping it so I can see my progress on the teeth brushing plan. My dentist ought to be delighted, as am I in the progress so far. It does feel good to sit here just brushed.

If I've missed anyone here, I apologize and will try my best to make up for it later. Hugs all around.

Thanks all for your encouragement! AnneW, yes I was super nervous thinking about having my first hauling experience. What would they think of me and my messy garage/house. Would they even agree to take this stuff. On and on. Well they were just as polite and kind as they could be. I did all that worrying for nothing :)

What helped me was to view this as only the first of several pickups, rather than "have to do it ALL PERFECTLY the first time". If it's just kind of a trial run, to see how it goes, then I don't have to have everything perfect. Thank goodness :)

So with that it mind, I just added 2-3 boxes of stuff to the pickup pile every day whether I felt like it or not. Reading what the rest of you have accomplished really helped my motivation on days when it would have been more pleasant to skip.

So every day one box from the worst part of the basement, one box from the other part of the basement, and if I had any energy left over, something from the rest of the house. I should add the rest of the house is not too bad because I've been working on the visible part for a long time. The basement ... ugh ... but now it's time, now I'm ready to deal with it.

Every box, every single item, that I get out of the house is progress. Slow and steady wins the race.