Thanks Dianne, was so great to hear from you, it is so sad and we at least have this site to share where we can finally be understood, and not feel so alone. I understand every word you wrote, as if you were speaking for me. We have wasted so much time, money, peace of mind, and now we can try something new.

Tillie, keep thinking about you and hope you are OK, would it help to call Cory? Take good care of yourself. more hugs

Tillie, please let us know how you are doing when you get a chance.

Today was hot here, tried to get some stuff done, don't have energy in heat, and will be hot all week. When I put the window air conditioner in the window yesterday, I slipped off the chair and fell back and hit my head, and think I am still hurting a little from that.
Well, the big news, I finally got a camera and took pictures this afternoon. It hit me like a ton of bricks looking at photos. I thought it was too late to take "before" photos because I have done so much work, well plenty was captured.
I went through shock and sadness when I saw the mess left. It was like catching your reflection in a window and saying, when did I get old and fat. It was like looking at someone elses hoard and seeing how deep they buried themselves and yes there was some disgust, how could they live like that? Then realizing how bad my life has become. And I actually didn't think I was a real hoarder when I started this process. Finally accepted that I am a hoarder, and really thought I was getting over it, until I saw the pictures tonight. Had the thought, it is really more than I can ever get done. Then the thought, maybe this will make it easier to toss anything I do not love. I have great stuff in here, now need to be focused on inside house, and let garage go for now. Need to deal with difficult stuff in here and not just escape to garage and throw away easy stuff. Tomorrow will be better, just feel in shock and sad right now.

OMG Tillie. I am so, so sorry.

Hi Tillie,

OMG! He killed your cat?! THAT IS HORRIBLE! I'm so sorry to hear that he did that. :(

(((HUGS)))

But if my boyfriend ever hurt or killed Matt, Cory, or Snuggles, I would immediately leave him. And I would also file a police report saying that he killed one of my pets.

SORRY :(

(((HUGS)))

Tillie, you are in such a difficult situation, so sorry things have gotten worse for you. You are such a wonderful person, you certainly deserve better. Hugs and good thoughts.

Hi All,
I am in Northern California yet again, helping our other office get some new hires and clean stuff up. I am flying home tomorrow at 8:00pm so will be driving to the airport while the support group is going on. Sorry to miss you yet again! I really do not plan on this, but my life is busier than ever these last couple months and I can't seem to get even my weekends off. I will try to get on soon with you. Hope everything is still going great for everyone that takes the time to participate on here :)

Oh, Tillie, that is terrible. There is much I can forgive people for, but killing your cat? I don't think I could forgive it. I really don't know how you are coping, at all. And your garden. I know you love your garden and it gives you pleasure.

What can we do to support you? What do you need that we can provide? We are here.

Hugs
Roxie

Tilliie, I apologize. There's nothing worse than advice from someone who doesn't know the facts. Good luck.

How bad can it get!
When I decluttered the livingroom he killed my cat.

Tillie: what would you say to someone who was having this problem with a stubborn husband, no water, and a deadly heat wave? My guess is it would be, " Enough is enough! Get a plumber and get it fixed!!"

This situation is more than an inconvenience. It is rapidly approaching life threatening. So he gets upset-- does he get physically abusive? If not, how bad can he get? You need to take control for your own safety and well being.

Another sleepless night.
Still no water.
He refuses to do the one thing that I said needs to be done to fix this problem.
Instead he has spent a ton of money replacing parts that are only a few years old and do not need replacing.
There is a part on the very bottom of the pipe down in the well. This part has a valve that opens to allow water in then closes to keep the water from draining back down into the well.
I believe this valve is stuck open and needs to be cleaned or replaced.
We have had this exact same problem once before.
A simple and inexpensive thing to do.
I am not strong enough to undo the screws and do this myself or I would.
My garden is dead.

LynnS, sorry about that drive in the storm! Yow.

I did rally today. Brushed teeth, sorted and dealt with a big pile of mail, unboxed the two shrubs (mountain laurel and hydrangea) that have been sitting outside a few days. They look okay but wrangling with the box had me in a sweat.

I also put away all clean dishes and rounded up the dirty.

Hi Roxie,

I didn't know that that was how Matt got his start. I should totally start doing that. :D

My parents actually have a neighbor that I think might possibly be a hoarder. I think he's possibly either a hoarder or a serial killer; and he hides the bodies of his victims in the house. Because his house is really big and he lives alone in it. And my parents say that he is always gone most of the time and that he never has any company over. I remember once while I was over at my parent's house, I noticed that he had his garage door open and that he had a lot of stuff in it. And I also noticed that there was a table sitting in the middle of his garage. After I noticed the table, I thought to myself, "Okay that is really weird! He has a huge house all to himself and he has a table set up in his garage? Why wouldn't he just put the table in his HUGE house? I wonder what he is hiding in there!" Lol.

Hi, all. Okay, I'm experiencing the classic CFS "brain fog" right now, probably because of messed up sleep cycle. I was up until around 4am then slept until around 3pm when a taxi driver kept honking for their passenger next door. I hope I can remember to respond to each of you, but if I don't you can blame the brain fog.

Karl, that was terrific how you stopped and did the 15 minutes segments during chat. I hope someone shows up for you tonight, but if not, you keep right on with the work as you have been doing. I'm proud of you.

Tillie, what a mess with no water. Any today? Water is an ESSENTIAL element for all of us. If he doesn't get it fixed pronto, can you just go ahead and get a plumber in? Deal with fallout later if need be. Meanwhile, keep misting yourself with water, drinking what you can, and limit your movements to avoid sweating it all out. If you can, drink liquids that have electrolytes in them (sports drinks). In my many experiences without AC I learned how to get along in record temps. Not pleasant by a long shot.

Diane, I smiled so much about your wonderful day with your friend. You are reaping some rewards for your continuing astonishing hard work in clearing out and cleaning up. Proud of you.

MayMay, I am just now reading Matt Paxton's book "The Secret Life of Hoarders," and was interested to learn how he drummed up business for himself in the beginning. He went around and spotted likely hoarder homes by the condition of the yard itself (unkempt), the debris around the home, and whether curtains were closed and/or pressed up against the window panes. He and Cory apparently came to this business because they were desperately seeking work, and look how well they're doing now. And how much they are needed.

I don't see a lot of working getting done around here today due to the late start, but there is always tomorrow and I surprise myself sometimes by rallying.

Hugs all around to you great folks.

Status update. I was busy on Monday and didn't get any cleaning done, but at the Tuesday chat, CS and I motivated each other to pause the chat and do a couple of 15-minute segments right then and there. I did some on Wednesday without the timer, and then on Thursday I went for the top cupboard shelf in the kitchen, and discovered that I had a lot more empty containers than I'd thought. I moved the platic ones to a staging area (I might end up keeping one or two of each size for food storage), and tossed out the old coffee cans.

This evening I've got another helper session scheduled, but nobody has responded to it. I'll stay around in case someone shows up unannounced, but I'll assume it'll be a solo session.

Hey All
yesterday we had a power outage after the bad T-Storm and we finally got power restored at 9am today. Everything in the freezer was ok as well as the fridge.
I got another job bid at work to work tomorrow from 6:30a to 2:30p.
Last night for the first time in my life I broke out in hives from the heat. With no power to run fans it was a nightmare to try and keep cool and from itching.

I was able to work on Wed for a 8hour shift but getting there was also difficult due to the storm. Just as I got off the expressway the storm poured down and I could not see the lines on the street let alone which lane I was in. It was raining so hard I could not see out the windshield very well at all and had to hopefully pull over in some parking lot to try and wait out the very bad T-Storm for a while but waited for about 8minutes. I was finally able to carefully make it to work but the entrance that I was supposed to enter was a pond of water and didn't want soggy wet smelly shoes all day for a standing job which I probablly would have been sent home if my shoes reeked from the water.
Lightning and thunder was everywhere.
Last night Hammond and some other cities was the most badly damaged from power outages.
I have a doc appointment to get tested as why sweat so much more than others at work. I can't wait to go it's driving me crazy sweating so much. I drink alot of water to try and stay hydrated but still end up sweating it all out.

I hope that all is doing ok. So sorry to hear someone not having water, I'm sorry I can't remember who it was but hope for the best of you.
Take care all.

Hi Tillie,

I'm sorry to hear that you have no water right now. I hope your husband will be able to fix the problem. At least you have a place that you are able to go to for water and to stay out of the heat. :)

Hi diane,

I'm glad you had a good time with your friend today. It is great to hear that you are able to have people over at your house. You have been doing such a good job de-cluttering. I'm very very PROUD OF YOU! :)

Wow, that sounds like a classic sitcom situation, Tillie. Letting a plumber handle the problem would be an admission that he can't fix it himself, which I expect he interprets as a challenge to his masculinity. So, the trick is to find a graceful exit that will get the job done without hurting his pride.

If you were to buy new *parts*, do you think he'd be able to complete the fix using them? Or has he done enough damage that you really need an expert plumber now? (I hope the new leaks aren't *inside* the wall; that would make things worse!)

Hi Diane :)
So happy you and your friend had such a great time. :D
What a mile stone, having company inside your home. Happy Dancing for you! :D
You are amazing and we are so lucky to have you here posting your fantastic progress!

I just returned from the big house. Had two cats there with me.
The central air was heavenly and I washed up at the sink with cold water. :D
That is where I am getting my water from.

I have a couple of those misty maker water bottles that spray a fine mist.
I have a big pad that contains water retaining beads inside it and when it gets wet it stays wet and cool for a long time.
I have a freezer full of those frozen squeezie pops and sherbet. :D

A fridge full of cold wet fruit and water.

I feel guilty leaving the other three cats here when I go to the big house.
The two that came with me did NOT want to come back home. LOL :D Neither did I.

My hoarder is out in the pumphouse working on the problem. I don't allow him in the big house because I take my caretaking job seriously. ;)

If I have water here again by Saturday I might be able to save all my garden plants.

Please keep your fingers crossed that he can do this. :D

this site is like dessert after working all day, so fun reading all the things that are posted. Tillie I am aching for you, heat is so tough to live in especially with no water, so sorry you have to live in this. Can you live at the big house?
Maymay, so heartwarming to read about helping other hoarders, I was thinking the same thing today.
Today my friend came at 7:15 am and we filled her SUV, took load to Goodwill, returned and filled more bags and she took notes for my June challenge. It made it so much quicker to have her here. We sat in my living room for awhile, which is a first in years, she pointed out how well I arranged art and noticed my eye for color and design, felt so good, it was a miracle to enjoy company for the first time in years. We did as much as we could until it was too hot, then another trip to Goodwill, then we went to a park with a river, walked and sat and talked, it was the best day. When I got home, finished cleaning out a few bins, until sweat got in my eyes. Still a little room in garbage cart for pickup tomorrow, so will go back out when it cools down a little, too hot now. Tillie can you make ice and blow a fan on it, and wear wet clothes. Maybe even go to library for the day or any airconditioned place

Hi Everybody! :D

This is day two of a very hard time here.
I have NO water.

This is all from him trying to fix a leaky outside faucet.

Rather than going to the hardware store and simply buying a new faucet and replacing the old worn out leaky one he scrounged assorted bits and pieces out of his hoard and did a really terribly job.
These old pieces in his hoard are old worn out items that he drug out of dumpsters. They are no good. That is why they were in the dumpsters.
Plus none of the parts he managed to find in his hoard were the right size or type so he Mickey Moused a bunch of them all together into a sort of stupid contraption.

Well, one minor leak turned into two major leaks.
He also has managed to mess up our water pump and the holding tank is now no longer holding water.

We are experiencing a very bad heat wave. Temps over 100 degrees for the next week.
With no water I have no evaporative cooler.
With no water all my garden plants are going to die soon.
I have 10 gallons of bottled water for me & the cats to drink.

He refuses to call a plumber. :(

WAY TO GO Roxie! :D

Hi Roxie,

I would have loved to help Green. I actually wanted to help Green ever since I read her first post. After I read it I felt so bad and it made me just want to hop on the first airplane I could get on and go to wherever she lives and help her right away. :)

I would love to help someone locally. A little over a year ago I actually met a hoarder in "Wal-Mart". I was wearing my "Steri-Clean" hoodie and she saw it and came up to me and asked me if I KNEW CORY CHALMERS! I told her no but that I wish I did because I have a huge crush on him. Then she told me all about her hoard. I was in TOTAL SHOCK! I talked to her for like an hour. And then after I left I started to feel bad because I didn't offer to help her. After that I promised myself that I will never let another hoarder that I meet go without help. :)

Whoot whoot! Today I loaded the car with recyle items and the SNAP tests I ordered for the cat shelter. I recycled at the recycle center and dropped the SNAP tests at the vet's office. It's hot out and I'm wiped out, but that was a big step for me today.

I also brought the large garbage bin back up the driveway to my house so I can fill it before next week's pickup.

Oh, and I brushed my teeth. Yes.

Roxie, you are right, of course. These boards do offer a place for support, suggestions, and acceptance which so many people in hoarding situations need because of the isolation and hopelessness that usually accompany the hoarder's life. A place to vent and share and also to realize you are not alone is very therapeutic.

Hopefully people visiting and participating in these forums will be inspired to act slowly and effectively before it becomes an emergency and insurmountable crisis.

You offered some realistic and practical tasks for Green. I know from your posts that you are facing difficult challenges of your own but you always offer kind and supportive comments to other posters. Perhaps the best thing about this site is the opportunity to see that just because you have a hoarding or clutter problem it does not prevent you from being a valuable, kind, and lovable person.

Thank you for your comments!

Oops, Diane, I forgot to mention: MANY people love to get bags of costume jewelry because they enjoy the hunt through the items. So what you can let go of in terms of bags of stuff, do. Donate. Let someone else sort. hehe

Mariana, I can hear your frustration at not being able to help in situations like Green's. However, I believe these boards ARE a realistic help to anyone in distress regarding hoarding or squalor, no matter what the stage they are in, don't you? It matters to be heard.

I went through my pro cleanout with no emotional support (I didn't come here until afterwards) and it would have helped significantly had I been HERE before and during, not just after.

Regardless of any progress or lack thereof, I still feel I need to be here every day to continue on my own journey, reading and posting. Perhaps I might feel differently if I had any local support, but I don't. I think many of us have isolated ourselves during the course of everything. I can go weeks without any human contact.

MayMay, I believe Green is in California and on a tight time limit, so I don't think you'd be able to help out in this case. Sure would have been nice. Maybe someone locally needs just that type help (and to give you more experience) so think of ways you might locate such persons. Perhaps hooking up with Adult Protective Services or local social services agencies? But don't overdo, since you have your own self to look after well first. That slippery slope, dontcha know?

Diane, you do so much it always amazes me. I wish I had 1/10th your energy and ability. I love hearing about your newly painted spaces and plans for organizing. One thing I've seen in tool workspaces is that pegboard, with a particular spot allotted to a particular tool. Then someone has outlined the tool with a black magic marker so you can see at a glance which tool hangs where. Way cool to me.

As for your hoarder friend: it doesn't sound to me like she is anywhere near ready to deal with the issues, so I think it is wise for you to watch your boundaries there in the meantime. Take care of you first. If she is a reader, you might donate to her one of the good hoarder books. If she is a computer person you could point her to the old Squalor Survivors board. That board is where my own recognition that there might be a problem (MIGHT? lol). The "I must have a whole day" thinking is much like the black and white thinking you find when you look at Stinkin Thinkin sites.

Recovering hoarders can think it Technicolor, right? :D

Hi Mariana,

I am definitely still interested in becoming an "Extreme Cleaner"; and yes, so far I have lead 2 major clean-ups. One was in Seattle and the other one was in Houston. Both of the hoards were level fives and I did both of the clean-ups for free. :)

I am always up for doing another clean-up. So if "Green" (formerly "Me") wants me to help, then I would LOVE to do it! :D

Well, today looked at house and said, this is in need of maintenance, did the dishes, cleaned counters, stove top and floor.
Went through jewelry box that came out of big bedroom last week. I thought it was one that I bought at garage sale, but really was my mothers. Sad looking at all the junk jewelry she had, nothing of any value at all. Some were kind of cute, earrings I had made her years ago. I threw away any that were rusted or super ugly. When it got too much, after about an hour of cleaning, I bagged it up and will sort stuff for give away another day, too emotional right now. At least all the real junk is out and cleaned all of the drawers, and sections. I learned hoarding from the best.
I have worked in here for 5 hours, short breaks, and I am done for now. My friend is still coming at 8am tomorrow, so is motivating me to get the basic maintenance done in house she will be in, bedrooms still off limits for now. She is a minimalist and is willing to point out cluttered areas, I think are ok, Actually looks pretty nice in here after all the junk I got rid of is gone.
We will see. She lives in a beautiful home so is a little difficult not to compare her house to my trailer. My hoarder friend just called with excuses, it is getting old, wished her well and suggested starting with 15 minutes, says she can't do that has to have all day, and it has rained. How about tomorrow, supposed to be sunny, said she has a class, I said that is an hour, she said needs whole day or can't do it, boy did that bring back memories. I said to call after she puts in 2 full days, and I can help after that, think that is good.
Now, get to go put tools in clean cabinets in garage, in between showers. Got all the paint brushes, paint pads, and paint rollers, and drop clothes sorted and they will be all on one long shelf, yes, long shelf. Will not need to buy anymore for years, and now know where they are so can use them to my hearts content, did I mention I am a paint hoarder, and love to paint? Well finally getting to it!!! Will vacuum later today in here, and will make bed in big room, washed all linens. Yes, starting to see some improvements after 3 months of daily long hours, have to look for the good and stop my mean mind from looking at only what is not done and the extreme extent of hoarding.

MayMay, are you still interested in becoming an extreme cleaner? You mentioned that you went somewhere to lead a cleanout (relatives I think?) at no charge since you were not professional and just seeking experience. Could you help the poster "green" ( formerly "me")? I know this might really not be a good idea since she is a stranger and I don't know where either of you live.

As I think on this idea, I realize it is not a good thing. It is just distressing that most of the time we really can't help people in these desperate hoarding, moving, eviction situations except with encouraging words and possible hints. I suppose that is better than nothing.

I guess we have come to realize that most of the time hoarding is the outward manifestation of something deeper. Maybe we need to see what can be done help healing before cleaning.

Feeling so helpless.

I just finished giving Snuggles, Matt, and Cory their baths. And now I am getting ready to go get my monthly "full-body" massage. YAY! :D

I am in serious need of a massage. :)

Good morning, everyone. Another cockamamie day for me. Didn't get to sleep until an ungodly hour then woke up around 8:30 a.m. Eyes are gritty, thoughts are fuzzy, motivation is at zero.

How's everyone and what have you got planned or have already done for today?

OMG! Right now it's thunder-storming where I live, and I just saw the COOLEST lightning strike! :D

I LOVE THUNDER-STORMS! :D

Thanks diane, Tillie, and Roxie. :)

WOW! Taking care and playing with 7 dogs at the park for most of the day is exhausting. It's FUN!... But it's also exhausting. Lol. ;)

We just got back from the park a few minutes ago. I have already dropped Cory, Matt, and Snuggles' doggie friends off at their homes. I was going to give Cory, Matt, and Snuggles all baths, but I decided to wait until tomorrow to do that. We are all exhausted. I am going to go take a shower though. :)

Diane,
Things are getting better for me. I am still having some flashbacks; but not as many as I was the day after the crash. And I haven't had anymore seizures. :)

Roxie,
I would love to foster some dogs. :)

Today while I was at the park a lady asked me if all of the dogs that I had with me were mine. And I told her that only 3 of them were mine and the rest were dogs that live around the neighborhood. She asked me if I ran my own "doggie daycare"; and I told her no and that I would love to run my own "doggie daycare" but that I don't think I could run a "doggie daycare" AND travel around helping hoarders at the same time. ;)

If I do become a super successful extreme cleaner like Cory, 2 things that I want to have are a private jet and a fancy tour bus like what Rock Stars travel around in for me and my crew; and also so that I can take Cory, Matt, and Snuggles with me whenever I have to travel. :)

I'm a bit groggy, so bear with me. I went to bed at reasonable hour but didn't wake up until 3pm.

Karl, Diane, Tillie, MayMay, I'm enjoying your posts and send congratulations all around for your hard work and for your taking care of yourselves.

Diane, I "get" your fixations. I have had such tendencies myself. Where they involve NOT shopping, I just let the fixation run itself out. It might be ancestry dot com, or researching some subject, etc.

I too had collected picture frames. I enjoy them just as they are if they are "cool." On one wall I have mixed pictures and empty decorative frames. Looks nice, in my opinion. I think it baffled my oldster brother, though.

I have a lot of art that I do not plan to get rid of at this point. I may cull a few and donate them to the cat shelter thrift store.

I have a huge oil painting that I no longer care for (it was expensive, too). I am thinking of calling the library and seeing if they would have any interest in my donating it to them. They have various areas where artwork would be nice, but I also figured they could do a silent auction if they wished and get some money for it. You might think about doing something like that, too, for your nicer pieces. Other places might like some free art: women's shelters, hospitals, etc.

I have no idea what I'm up to doing today yet since I'm not even thinking straight. I did place an order for the cat shelter for three boxes of feline combo SNAP tests and when those arrive in a few days I will deliver them. It's just easier and safer for expensive items like that (not to mention fragile) if they are delivered here where I am almost always at home.

MayMay, rather than hoard animals you can donate some time to animal shelters and/or foster a dog here and there. Be careful because they WILL take advantage so you have to be able to firmly limit the number. I'd say no more than 2 dogs at any one time. My inability to say "no" led me to squalor. Sigh.

What I see most needed for shelter dogs is TRAINING so they are housebroken and are good canine citizens. Much more likely to be adopted and remain in permanent homes that way.

I love the new prison dog training systems. Excellent for prisoners and dogs alike. They have one here now.

I had a shepherd mix female foster living with me an entire year before she found a home in New England. I had just become resigned to thinking mine was her permanent home. But I was 84% happy to send her along. Her name was Lovey and she was a very good dog, Took up most of my bed, though. And was very hard to move when she was determined to stay right where she was.

My recent "shopping spree" for live plants has backfired on me as I have yet to plant anything. That makes me sad but it also ended the little spree. Sigh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58IjeHIuZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7U0eszEBrM

These are some links to some YOUTUBE shows.
I found them to be very interesting and at times inspirational.


Good Afternoon :D
Been taking it easy today, watched some videos on the computer.


MayMay, have fun romping in the dog park with a whole pack of dogs. :D

Diane, I love reading your long posts. Gives me great insight into your thought processes as you process through your sorting out. :)

Hi Maymay, sounds like fun for all, see, don't need to animal hoard, just borrow friends dogs!! Was thinking about you and hope things are easier for you.
Another rainy day here, no dog park for me!!
I finished painting the room attached to the garage, it is so cute painted light pink, now will have to make a plan what I want to put in there and label the cubbies so always keep organized. No mice droppings yet, nice to have it painted so can see if mice or spiders move in.
I think so much space out there was part of the hoarding, knew there was more space so could buy anything, until there was no more space anywhere.
A friend is taking her guest to airport at 6 on Thursday and will come here at 8am. I have so many bags of frames, etc. I think I will ask if we could fill her SUV with bags including some Christmas and take to Goodwill, too much stuff for any other thrift store to handle. Some of the paintings are HUGE, wouldn't fit in my car. Goodwill can handle Christmas I would assume, will be so great to get that huge load out of here. Funny how I get on a tangent, liking acquiring picture frames to paint and do wonderful things with, then they sit for years collecting dust and I move to the next project, like tons of mirrors, then fabric, doesn't matter what I get fixated on, really think it is my mission to get a bunch of whatever it is and create these wonderful projects. Since the high is in acquiring, nothing gets made. The addiction of acquiring seems to have subsided but dealing with the consequences of this is so overwhelming, and am getting clarity on the thinking that goes behind this acquiring. Had to work on forgiveness today as I bagged up more hoard, and cleaned the dirt off floor in little room. If I can continue to forgive myself for past wrongs and believe I now deserve a wonderful clean life that is pleasant to live in. Tough to forgive myself for the mean things I said, to my nutcase mom, I did take care of her, her last year of life, to make amends to her, for being cruel to her over the years. She was very jealous of me and said cruel things, so I made sure I got even. Wish I could have taken the high road, but I didn't know better at that time.
Many time I shopped instead of spending time with friends, then lied about why I didn't make it to get together. All I can do now is be kind to myself, make my life happy and share that with current friends. Ok, at the risk of going on too long, I will end with saying how grateful I am for this board and the kindness everyone has shown and the healing that is possible if we take action daily on decreasing the hoard, and stop shopping. So grateful, even in the clouds today.

Today I am going to take Snuggles, Matt, Cory, and 4 of their doggie friends to the park to play. :)

Great Karl :)
Wishing you good luck finding willing and able helpers.

Diane,
How wonderful to find a nice room suitable for crafting, buried out by the garage! :D
(((hugs))) for all the soul searching and self forgiveness process.
You are so beautiful. :)

great reading what everyone wrote. It rained here and in mountains so didn't go to lake with my friend, they went anyway, brr.
Did I mention there is a little room attached to the garage? Well I took all the picture frames and most of junk out of there today, still not done, never been painted before so soaks up the paint. did I mention I hoarded paint? yes Tillie, well If I don't use it, have to get rid of it so am painting rooms that were part of hoard haven, I saved out several frames, then got rid of them too, why would I keep them, never will use them. Even got rid of some paintings I like, but no room for them. Had to be aware of my self criticism of the hoard, forgive myself, and let the crap go. I wrote down most of the stuff I bagged up, got to be a bit much so missed writing down some. Have so much some of it is crap some good, getting easier to recognize what I like and will use and what needs to go, crafts and clothes still emotional. Miss Tillie, you were a busy young lady today, good you had your energy back.
I am really tired and want to go back out there, and am going to take care of myself and lay here and watch tv. I ate soup out of the pan today so didn't have to wash a bowl, I really am taking the week off from dishes. This morning I did do dishes, need to finish clearing backlog so can enjoy my paper plate wk. The sun peeked out for a few minutes so I laid on deck and thought of things that are bugging me from the past and told myself, I did best I could and it is ok, tough to forgive yourself and not dwell on faults, have to really work on this. When I was painting the little room todaycruddy dirty room, lots of droppings and webs, that was transforming into a cute light pink fun room with built in shelves and a counter, really quite nice and newer an in garage, I smiled ear to ear, realizing that I am going from a miserable hoarder into a lucky woman that is discovering fun places to do projects in. I can see my glue gun in there having lots of fun, appears to be insulated, garage is not, was going to take door off then realized might be nice to be out there in winter with heater and stay warm. Have never used any of the space, just stashed stuff everywhere, and saw it as a dark horrible place, now garage and room are transforming into my dream workshop, never expected this difficult work would reward me in this way. I am grateful today. Thanks for all sharing your hearts.

OK, I've booked both Friday evening and Sunday afternoon/evening for helpers. Let's see what kind of response I get this time.

Hi Karl :)

Book 2 days for help with the kitchen.

GREAT idea putting the plastic bags in the tubes! :D

Good luck finding the stove parts.

HI Everybody! :D

Today I cleaned some in the house.
Cleaned the bathroom.
Wiped off lots of areas all around in here.
Washed the floors.
Vacuumed the carpet.
Swept the porches.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Generally tidied up. There were cat toys scattered everywhere.
Then I took a shower and shampooed my hair. :D

Cloudy and lightly drizzly day here so not doing any laundry.

Hi AnneW :)

Hi Diane :)
Remember what we asked you to do in chat last night. (((HUGS)))
WTG! on all that garage work! :D

Hi MayMay :)
Big (((hugs)))

Hi Karl :)
Remember to call a friend to come over! ;)

Hi Roxie :)
lol hope you have your A.M.s and P.M.s all straightened out now.
WAY TO GO! on all you accomplished!
Now get those plants in the ground. :D

Going to take a little nap now.
TTYL :D

Roxie, that's part of the reason that I use 24-hour time on my computer, and on every clock that can handle it!

My current goal: Kitchen. (Landlord deadline: July 13th.) I've been doing some sessions of 15-30m. I found I had zippered plastic bags in more than one place; no container, and I didn't seem to have a good location for them -- but then I realized I could roll several of them together and store them inside a cardboard tube, one for small bags and another for large.

My electric range has four burners, one larger than the other three, and I need to replace the drip pans. A Web search revealed a four-pack deal, but when I looked closer, I found that it's two 6-inch and two 8-inch, rather than three of one and one of the other. Bah.

I'm *almost* confident of being able to clean up the kitchen on my own, but I think it'll be better if I recruit help again. I'm unsure whether to book just one day this weekend, or more than that.

Diane, you can rightfully feel proud of those painted cabinets, and that you have already planned permanent homes for those tools. Sounds nice just hearing about it.

Today, I so far have brushed my teeth, bathed and shampooed, managed to find clean clothes, ran an errant, did grocery shopping, put away all shopping items and even their bags, fed all the cats canned food (oh, they were happy cats), and opened the top of a large box in which two new shrubs arrived. Yep, waiting for me to water and plant them. Yep, soon. Yep.

Thanks for your support everyone! :)

You guys are great! :)

(((HUGS)))

MayMay, I'm so sorry to hear your news of what you've witnessed and what you've had to deal with medically. Sounds to me like counseling from your firefighter friends may be among the best helps for you. Surely they witness and experience traumas sufficient to be able to relate. Gentle hugs, friend.

AnneW, good to see you posting. Please update us, okay?

Everyone else, hugs to you.

Yesterday I was on the computer and noticed it was 7:00, so I shut down the computer and settled in to watch my Sunday night tv shows. Only none of them were on. Programming was completely foreign to me. Tried to figure if there was a holiday throwing off the schedule or what. I finally gave up, signed back on the computer, only to realize it was 7:00 IN THE MORNING. Yee gads, talk about a confused woman.

My solution turned out to be to stay up all day (useless as I was) and go to bed at a more normal hour. I got up at 9:00 a.m. (yes sun was up) more like a normal person. :D