Tillie, a hoarder looks at everything as having possibilities, not based on facts. It is wonderful that progress is being made.
Today I finally got through the clothes, I never want to buy another piece of clothing. Went through paperwork, sorted into donations, trash, file. Still need to file. Did pay bills. Started going through little junk piles in bedroom, not done. Rearranged a few things in rock room. Afternoon in yard rock hounding in 36 mph wind. Did not find much, but enjoyed hands in dirt. Moved some rocks in yard Washed dishes. Goal this week is to finish bedroom.

So very frustrating to watch...
Several years ago the motor of my vacuum wore out so I put it in the trash.
He pulled it out of the trash and it has been buried out in the wet dirt of the carport all these years.
He spent 2 hours meticulously cleaning the exterior of the vacuum.
Then, he plugged it in and discovered that it was no good, the motor is burned out just like I said it was all those years ago.
He put it into the truck to take it to the dump.

Why, why, why didn't he check it's functioning before wasting all that time cleaning it???
Why did he keep it all these years without testing it???
Why do I keep throwing away things only to have him "rescue" them and clutter up our lives with items that are really truly useless trash???

:/


Rant over.
Thank you for your patience. (((hugs)))

Good Morning Everybody :D

Hi Diane :)
It has been a great pleasure getting to know you and follow along with your journey.
(((HUGS)))
WOOHOO! WTG! on all you have been doing! :D
I am not a hoarder but I too would have to look through that bin of clothes and make individual decisions on each item.
Just might be something I would want to swap out another item for to make room to keep it. ;)
Isn't it nice to look around and see all like items together in one drawer? Makes it so much easier to make decisions.
Plus, when temptation rears it's head at the store we can just think about what we know we have enough of and resist temptation.

Feeling a bit better today.
Hope I can at least get some dishes washed.
Could not get comfortable last night and was up till 2:30am with all my deepest, darkest fears running through my mind. :(
Being sick always tends to turn me into a whiney, snively coward. lol :P
Yesterday he took a half truck full off to donate then returned home and began filling the truck with stuff for the dump.
He is up this morning continuing decluttering the driveway.
ALL keep/toss/donate decisions are his alone to make and he is still keeping way to much.
Oh Well...

Everybody have a wonderful Sunday. :)

Thanks Tillie, so many wise comments. Yes, sure hopes he does his part of loading up today, sometimes we need help and encouragement to see the reality of the amount of stuff and praise for letting it go, sure has made a difference for me, thanks Tillie.
Today I am not as energetic, one bin last bin of clothes looking at me. Just checked drawers and closet, more than enough, so just get rid of clothes in bin? Of course a non hoarder would, I think, I need to try on everything in case something is better than what I already have. Then I ask, would I exchange it for not so good or would I just sneak it in and hope friend does not see it. My gut would know that I was dishonest and stuff is stuffed, not good.
I just want to goof off again today. Already rinsed dishes, now need to wash and put away. Washed clothes and sheets, putting away now. There are a couple of small bins of junk in bedroom then will almost be done.
This morning I folded sox and other underwear like Condo suggests in Tidying up and it felt like a fun adventure, never ever organized underwear before, just had to search in piles in drawers. Since I got rid of 60-80 panties and over a hundred sox etc. there is room to organize, so new to me. Thank goodness for this site or it would never have happened before I died. Tillie your loyal support has made such a difference, thanks.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
(((HUGS)))

Hi Diane :)
YEA!!! :D for playing outside! :D
And Way To Go! Having company visit! ;)
You have been doing such a FANTASTIC amount of organizing your home life. (((HUGS)))
Putting stuff away when finished with it is a habit and with any habit, practice makes perfect
and soon it all just starts to happen naturally. ;)
What I have wished for you all along is finally being realized...
You now have space and time to do all the wonderful things you truly enjoy doing
like lapidary and crafts.
Keep up all this great progress and I promise that there really is a light at the end of this decluttering tunnel.
(((HUGS)))

Sort of breezy outside today.
With this whatever it is I have caught I don't think I should go outside today.
Still coughing, sniffling and my ear still hurts.
There is more than enough to keep him busy in the driveway this weekend, hope he gets to it.
So far, I have cleared about 1/10th out of the carport, so much more to do. :(

Bye :)

OOPS---------meant to say, can NOT organize a hoard.

Great reading your posts. Yes Dave, it is the money I thought was in a book, surprise!!! Good memory. Yes Tillie, it helps to be on a hunt for money, might be a bit moldy and shredded in carport. Happy it is working to pull stuff out for him, and yes, need to slow down when sick. I worked so hard this week took today off and joined Tillie in the yard allllllll day. This was an amazing week for me. I am an isolating hoarder, so having so much progress, let friend visit Monday, helper here Wednesday, and yesterday a nurse I worked with actually was allowed inside for the first time ever in many years of knowing her. 3 visitors in one week was a huge stretch for me, and I did it graciously, we are talking miracles here. Today I woke up, able to have friends enjoy visiting. It felt good to do no indoor projects today. When rain started I went to library picked up some things I had on hold, returned dryer pipe to Lowes, picked up RX, no excess shopping, saves a lot of time not wandering the aisles of thrift stores. I am so grateful my friend comes for 2 hours a week and helps me make decisions, keeps me focused, reminds me my empty spaces bring me more joy than my piles of stuff. Today I practice putting things away after using them. I am seeing the importance of limiting things so each can have a home, and then I can find it when I need it. Just will take lots of practice before it feels normal to put things away. Throwing things down where I used them or throw on a pile is way more familiar. Not sure why things are finally working for me, I really think it changed when I allowed help from a woman I respect and like, knowing how committed she is, makes me want to keep trying, no matter how difficult.
Bedroom is almost done, then the craft room, then I can live life in here. Deck and Garage are a disaster so won't be done until outside stuff is done. To have living area and rock room clutter free is a miracle. I finally know that I can organize a hoard, tried for years, just have to be willing to let it go. Thanks for the support.

Just checking in to say I am thrilled with everyone's progress! Nice work on finding that $$ Diane! Glad to see so many people posting!

Thinking of you all and grateful for your support!!

Good Morning :D

LOL Dave,
You come up with some very interesting solutions! ;D

Hi CriticalMass :)
Thank you (((hugs)))
Great to hear from you and catch up on all you have been up to.:)
Back reading all the posts is not a requirement,
everybody is given amnesty on that.
If relocating your storage unit will help you get it sorted out then that's the way to go.
Hope the new location costs less too and maybe you will get it so organized that you will fit into a smaller unit. :D
WAY TO GO!!! for all you have been up to!

Today I am staying inside and taking it easy.
Going to cook some food and treat myself to a home made pedicure.
Have been tired all this week and finally figured out that I am sick.
Have a cough, sniffles and woke up with an earache this morning.
Probably caught some hideous disease from mucking around in the carport. JK :D lol
Accomplished a LOT in my flower/herb garden yesterday. It's all ready for Spring now. :)
Planted 12 gladiolus bulbs.
The daffodils are getting ready to bloom.
Everything is beginning to bud.
Been unseasonably warm but winter is not over with yet.

TTYS :)

Maybe you need a sleep number bed. One side for you, one for the books. That way they can be well rested and easily pass on information to you! :) :)

Wow, more time elapsed than I meant to since my last post - now we have a new thread! I still haven't forgotten my commitment to post regularly. Okay, it was supposed to have been daily, but I'll have to work on that *blush*. The important thing is that I do post and keep myself accountable and give others support.

Don't know how much time I'll have to read back posts so once again I'll just be jumping in and responding to some recent ones, what catches my attention. It's kind of like my stuff - I want to have time to address each thing, but that can be a trap as we all know, since there are so many things and only so much time.

Also true to my ADD ways, I'll probably end up jumping subjects willy-nilly. Anyway, here goes:

Regarding posting - what has worked for me is to write my post and copy it - whether in Word or on the site, it works either way. Then I fill in my username and the Captcha letters, and submit. It doesn't appear. I go back and do it a second time, et voila'! It's there. So I just follow this procedure as a matter of routine anymore. Or let's say, that's what I had been doing. We'll see today, having a new thread, if that second time proves necessary or not.

Roxie, that was fantastic that you were able to make those phone calls. I've been down the financial struggle road along with all the other crazy roads in my life, and I know how hard it is. And I am not good with talking on the phone either, especially with my short term memory issues and the call centers often having people with thick accents. It can get so frustrating I dread it like the plague. So good for you diving in! :)

Tillie, I'm sorry you're having to put up with a difficult person but you are brave to forge ahead. Do take care of yourself and be safe, you deserve that. {{{HUGS}}}

Diane - wow, that's great to find that money!

Dave, keep plugging along - I think you'll hit a point where it becomes easier to let go. Over the years our discarding skills have become rusty, and I think the more we use them again, just like atrophied muscles, they will work more efficiently and with less pain.

As for me, well, let's see - I had my local support meeting this past week. We had a speaker part of the time so it was a little different but okay. Weather here where I live has fluctuated some but overall been unseasonably springlike. Although it can vary anytime of the year, so it could decide in March to get wintry again, who knows.

I'm hoping the weather will just stay nice and that I can begin a steady flow of working in the storage unit. The plan to move from the storage place on the other side of town, to one closer to where I now live, seems to be viable. It would certainly be beneficial in that I could a) get rid of some things immediately during the moving process itself; b) place storage shelves neatly for the keepers, and designate a staging area for the sorting; and c) be able to go and get small amounts to work with here at the house, without worrying about long trips and gasoline waste. When I go to the current unit, sometimes I tend to bring back more than I know I should because of the distance, and then it piles up in my van or my room.

Yesterday, I have to boast just a teensy bit, I made it to the gym and did some exercising on the bike, treadmill, and weight machines. Then had a nice shower and back home started to catch up on neglected laundry, which I'm still doing today. Last night I put clean sheets on the bed and I'm going to try not to put books and stuff on the bed. It's difficult in a small room, and with my ADD (the need to put current stuff where I can see it so as to remind myself to read it). But I'm gonna give it a go. I do believe having the stuff on my bed is psychologically affecting my ability to just rest. Reading in bed is okay, it's something I've enjoyed most of my life. But just the book I'm reading and not the 20 others! Wish me luck with this!

Money situation is so-so. The huge amount that got shelled out on van repairs is gone; I'm not thrilled about it, but I can't afford to trade out vehicles, and it is running better so at some point I guess I will be getting that money's worth out in usage. Someday, when I have dealt with my clutter, and hopefully found some ways to bring a little extra in each month to supplement my Social Security disability - whether through a part time job or selling stuff I make, whatever - I can decide whether and when to get a smaller vehicle. Given my situation, I'm keeping the van as a fallback until I'm sure I won't be homeless. But right now it's okay with the roommate situation for the most part, though I long to have my own place again. However, I'd rather wait a little longer and have the transition be calmer than the last moves have been. And hopefully be able to take my time and find a place that's really right for me.

Guess I've rambled on enough; better keep going on the tasks of the day! Cheers all!

diane, that's great! Can't remember now, is that the money you were looking for a couple of years ago?

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Roxie :)
"Clink!"
Ooooo Gummy Bears! :D
They don't last long around me. LOL
Your cooking experiments sound like a lot of fun.
(((hugs)))

Hi Diane :)
WOW! WAY TO GO!!!
FANTASTIC! what all you two accomplished! :D
Be careful up on the roof.
Take your time and stop before you get too tired.
(((hugs)))

Going outside soon as I post this.
Another unusually beautiful warm day.
Planning on doing some yardwork with the cats.
Also need to put more stuff in the driveway for him to sort this weekend.
Wish there was money buried in there because that would really motivate me to make him work faster. :P

Till later :)

Hi Tillie and Roxie, thanks for comments. Tillie sure hope you find your tumblers and grit, so much fun.
Helper was here 2 1/2 hours this morning. She is amazing. We went through all drawers in bedroom, all bins in closet and filled 5 large bags. We also found 13 hundred dollar bills in a purse I hid it in and couldn't find, another 200 in a wallet I knew was in underwear drawer. Almost enough to buy a canopy for my pickup, so I can sleep in truck on overnight rock hounding outings.
And yes I work too many hours, and get tired. Today did not drink enough water, have been most days. Fire wouldn't start, got up on roof and cleaned chimney and inside of stove and now fire started. When up on roof, saw that last big wind storm blew some roof nails out of metal roof section I put on last year, so tomorrow have to put roof screws in before it blows off.

Hi Diane :)

Big, big WAY TO GO!!!
for all you have been doing! :D
Eventually it will all come together, honest. (((hugs)))
Just keep chipping away at it a little at a time.
Have you been drinking enough water? Eating properly? Getting enough sleep?
All the things you have been doing are tiring
but neglecting your self care just exacerbates everything.
Hope you are really enjoying your rock room! :D

I have two tumblers and assorted grades of grit and a rock saw for opening geodes or slicing picture rock, etc.
Unfortunately, I have not seen them since the last century because he buried them in all the garage clutter.
I just hope he hasn't ruined them or given them away.

TTYS :)

Hello everyone.
I have been cleaning out my bedroom this week, very difficult, making progress then found 3 huge bags of clothes under bed. I kind of knew they were there, just did not want to look. 1/2 are already in the car the others I think I may want , so put in a pile to try on. Why? No way I need them. Cleared some shelves in bedroom, cleaned out some drawers, just so much to do. Did one load of laundry. Car seats and trunk are full again, I mean FULL. Just seems like it will never end. Finished leaves and burned them along with all the personal papers.
I organized rock room a little more. Moved some things on deck, just exhausted.

Good Morning :)

Dave :)
Way To Go!

Soon as the sun comes up today I will
clean the bathroom
wash the floors
vacuum
And do something about all this dust...

Bright HUGE moon in the sky this morning! :)

Re garage: Troubling, running out of room. Have moved some boxes from Mrs Dave's side. reviewing labels, One box indicated part of the contents were a sport coat bought at a sale from clothing co no longer in business-probably part of the effort to fill the second closet at the first house. Another item was a "thrift store sportcoat with broken sleeve". Having saved that for at least 15 years, I thought maybe I could let it go. I will have to try the other one on, if it fits I will swap it for something else. Came upon a little metal tin containing, among other things 5 thumbtacks, but these are "nice" ones, they still have a nice finish and have little stars embossed in them. I threw away a bunch of rubber bands but am having pause with the thumbtacks. Details!

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
Makes a lot of sense.
So much easier to clean when there is not too much to try cleaning around.
WTG! for helping out! :D

Hi Roxie :)
"Clink!"
WAY TO GO for tackling that unpleasant task! :D

Hi Karl :)
Yay! for being ready to let the cleaners in!!! :D
You are our resident "party animal".
Hope you had a wonderful time. :)

Hi Diane :)
So happy to hear you are having a great time with the loaner dog! :D
Since you don't get to have much "dog time", enjoy every minute of it!
(((hugs)))

Hi Dave :)
LOL, couldn't finish filling the third closet! :D
Glad to hear you are no longer practicing "strange science" experiments for the Mouses' amusement. ;)

Well,
spent all yesterday outside.
Did a lot of yardwork, still have lots more to do.
He is at the scene in any "HOARDERS" episode where he complains that I was the one to ruin all his things,
when honestly, all I did was transport them to their new location.
They were already damaged by years of neglect.
This stuff has been exposed to the elements.
Rain, snow, mud, rust, sun damage, animal activity, wind, dust storms, getting stepped on or buried under a ton of other stuff, and so on...
In his mind it was all pristine mint condition until I moved it.
Yeah, right. "chuckle" ;P
Anyways, he is still keeping most everything.
That's fine.
But he must now store all his "keepers" in the garage.
Good luck with that.

Tomorrow I really have to clean house.
Unreal how messy it can get when we have all been outside all day.

:)

The first house I had was a 1200 sq foot 3 bedroom. I was always a little short on clothes. I never got quite enough bought to finish filling the third closet.

Hurrah for dishes!!!! Back in the "old days" I had piles of dirty dishes that doubled as science experiments. Lots of varicolored fuzz to entertain the mice.

Hurrah for dishes!!!! Back in the "old days" I had piles of dirty dishes that doubled as science experiments. Lots of varicolored fuzz to entertain the mice.

Thinking of you all today, as I wrote yesterday, but never posted. Try again today. It was sunny so spent the day outside goofing off. Went through one small pile of clothes. Still wonder why I think I need more clothes than will ever wear. To clarify, dog is a loaner dog, thought I would borrow a dog to help my mood, while getting rid of stuff. And as a favor for friend going out of town. I love having him here, but rather play games with him than complete tasks. I was making so much progress daily until helper had to cancel this week, now just not focused, micro organizing. I did get dishes done.

Much gratitude to Cory for putting south effort into this--greatly needed a and appreciated.

Am at family member's house, cleaning and picking up. He is a terrible slob but no clutter--so easy to clean, if that makes sense. Cleaned the entire kitchen in under 35 minutes-- emptied dishwasher, refilled and started it, wiped down counters, separated trash and recyclables, cleaned stove, gathered up laundry. Going well!

From what Cory said...
He is allowing the automated system post all posts automatically.
Then, when he gets the time, he looks through the message board for any SPAM
which he deletes manually and blocks the said SPAMMERS IP address from being able to post here any more.
So, I do not believe that he has installed any anti-SPAM software to this system, other than the captcha to keep automatic/robotic SPAMMERS away.
;)

re: posting
Something just occurred to me. It seems to me like Cory said something about ip address checking as his technique for dealing with the spammers. I wonder if something in that process is causing the "post appearance" issues. I have no idea of the technical concepts involved, but as a layer between a person posting and a forum thread, it seems like a possibility.

Lunch break here.

So sorry to miss all your brilliant words Diane.
:( (((hugs)))

I too have been having a booger of a time posting.
I do not know why this is happening. :(

Hey Dave :)
I know you were not addressing me personally.
We can see that you are giving us all your personal perspective on the situation and I really do appreciate all your input.
The more we know about how we each think and work, the better we can all help each other.:)

Well, I have carted another batch out to the driveway for him to sort or ignore this weekend.
Neighbor friend saw me struggling with a heavy thing and came to help.
So nice of him. :)
Told me to call him over whenever I am ready to move more big heavy things.
Need to wash dishes and do a few other indoor stuff still.
Tomorrow I plan to do gardening if the weather permits. :)

And Tillie,
Just to be clear, I was not making that earlier post just to speak to you as though I was "His" voice, although speaking to all the passing by "wifes" in that manner was a partial goal. I am not going to get into the age discussion with you, but I am older than both of you (in parallel, NOT combined :)) so issues of that nature are coming to my attention (along with those of stature and gnarled hands :)).
{First "go back" on this post}

re posting:
I am finding the new thread does not seem to have solved some of the posting issues which I am experiencing. The comments to follow are things I have done on a computer only, not sure about a cell phone equivalent.

I am finding a regular occurrence of a post not showing up when I make it. The historical advice to deal with that situation has been to create the post in a Word Processor and copy it into this site, recopying and repasting if the post does not take. Different approach on desktop. If I type a post, enter the code and try to post it and it does not show, I will wait briefly and recycle the screen and/or open the site in another window and check it there. If it still does not show, I am finding that I can use the Chrome back arrow-I can't remember the number of times, I just go slowly so I can see the screens, and the screen with the post I just made and the reply code still typed into it will appear. I just click the Post reply button and usually the post will "take" in the thread. Once or twice I have had to repeat the step twice.
(I just had to back up on this one-one click on the back arrow to get the screen. Now clicking post reply again.)

I just posted a long note at same time Tillie, mine disappeared, darn all that brilliance wasted

Thank you Dave :)

(((hugs)))

Your situation sounds really intolerable, I hope that the next 2-3 months this time will be bringing you improvement. I was stunned imagining your car "disappearing" in the carport.

Yea Dave
I get it, I honestly do.
All these years he has refused and resisted every other tactic or therapy or book/internet resources to help him.
I keep trying different methods to see if anything would help motivate.
It all got this way while he was "handling it" himself.
But the biohazard is not acceptable and growing worse every day.
Since I live here too it is at a point that I need to try again.
I have NOT tossed one single item, I have left it all for him. Not even all the obvious garbage like food wrappers.
This time he is acting very differently than the past.
He has not gotten nasty or violent or killed my cat.
He has been participating in pleasant chit chat about world issues, not the declutter project.
Last night he came home and had brought me and himself a fresh hot pepperoni pizza.
He has NEVER done that before. It was a very nice gesture.
Since I told him my plan for this project he has been so much easier to live with.
I asked him last weekend if he were happy living like this and he answered "not particularly".
Maybe, just maybe this is the method that he needed all along.
Me bringing things out, him making all the decisions and putting things where they go, keep, donate or dump.
Before, I would point out an area for him to tackle and he never could manage to do it.
Keeping my fingers crossed that this tactic continues to work for him.

Re: smaller
that is a very good idea for a self help book! ;D

re: smaller.
Maybe there's a new book there. I believe someone wrote a book about trying to live on food from the dollar store for ____x amount of time. Perhaps you should write a book "living healthy on what short people can reach in the grocery aisles". :):)

(Speaking from Husband Hoarder side of the equation):
Rant: "But you all don't understand!" end rant.
It is still terribly difficult even from that point (Tillie's point of Mrs "tidying up" later) of "motivation". If i try to think from a perspective of "Ok, five year life span, what is relevant"; or "Ok, two year life span, what does Mrs Dave have to discard"; or "Ok, Iam going to have to go to one room in 'THE HOME!'" and use those as controls for "item review", it is still quite challenging to change thoughts and perspectives about any given individual item when it is seen or held.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Dave :)
Re: smaller
I have had to start resorting to begging strangers at the grocery store to please reach things off the top shelf for me.
Used to be I could reach them myself and find it humiliating having to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. ;P

Hi Diane :)
Thank you :D
Big, big, big WAY TO GO!!!!
For all your donations and foregoing looking around when you dropped them off! :D
Hope you got some good sleep last night.
Having fun with the dog? :D
How are your polished stones coming along?
Good Luck with your clothes sorting project. (((hugs)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
Thank you :)
By my carting items out from their long term resting spots and putting them in a fresh new location where he now has to actually look at, touch and make decisions on each and every item while seeing the massive quantity of all he has,
is how I am hoping to open his eyes to finally, actually seeing the seriousness of the situation.
With items remaining where they have rested since he dropped them there, he just churns and shuffles them around, never making any decisions except "I will deal with this later".

FANTASTIC! WAY TO GO!!! with helping your Mother make better decisions about her things! :D (((HUGS)))

OKEY...
Weekend number two of the "Great Carport Project".
Will go out today and find more things to add to the sorting area then my part in this caper will be done.
It's all his stuff and he insists on being in total control of his possessions.
Fine with me :D
Did I mention that everything he decides to keep must now be stored inside the garage?
The garage is big enough to hold 4 cars and has an upstairs loft running the full length of the structure.
It is already filled floor to rafters with only a narrow little goat path down the center.
I am hoping he "SEES" that space in there has a limit on how much stuff it can hold.
I have only scratched the surface of all the things packed into that 3 car carport.
Why am I doing this now?
Last Spring he had another life threatening medical condition. He survived just fine.
Should he decide to die, I will be faced with doing all this decluttering on my own and I do not want to do it.
The fresh air in the driveway and the moderate exercise is good for him and the more I can get him to do the less there will be for me to do, should he die before me.
Yes, I know, I am being terribly selfish.

:D

Hello everyone!

Tillie you are a remarkable pillar of strength. I'm glad he's able to make some progress but the blindness to the old, moldy, dirty things must make it terribly, terribly hard. Sending you strength and good wishes as you navigate through this. I am still working with my mother on getting rid of more things and it is tough. I have re-ordered her thinking a little bit and that has proven helpful in getting things donated. She's so helpful and dear, and wants to provide for others the way she did when she was working, so she will see something and I'll try to get in donation pile and she will say, maybe so-and-so can use and I'll remind her that so-and-so does indeed need a blanket but not a used one and from there we wash, fold and donate. It's still a struggle, but I'm trying.

Diane! I was reading your post and thought, oh goodie Diane has a dog! I know that will be a great source of comfort for you. CONGRATULATIONS on your hard work and for getting to the dr this week. I saw my dr yesterday and it felt good to look out for myself.

Much love to all.

Ps to Roxie--started my taxes today. Will work hard to finish tomorrow. Need to find property tax info and a few other things for deductions.

Hello everyone. Tillie so happy you were such a good girl at dentist office, hi Dave.
Deck is full of bagged donations mostly clothes, yes all clean and no stains. Still have more to go through, although a rational person would say just get rid of the rest without looking at it, you have enough.
Went to doctor yesterday, finally. She knows about my hoarding. Told her my car was packed and I was going to thrift store to drop it off. She asked if I could drop it off without going inside. I said I am still wanting to go inside and just see what I am missing. I told her I would drop off and not go inside. When I arrived at thrift store, I was able to not debate with myself, just dropped it off. Too windy and cold to fill car with donations on deck, raining with a little snow, very strong wind gusts.
Not enough sleep last night, feel zombie like today. Sorted some polished rocks in rock room, while dog slept on pile of clothes I was going to sort, that is my excuse. Helper had to cancel today, brought her dog over at 5:45AM this morning, on her way to see her new grandbaby being born. I offered to care her dog all weekend at no charge, since she has helped me so much, she was happy. Wish I could take naps.
Today I am telling myself it is ok to give really good, new stuff to thrift store, so some one else can have the thrill of finding a treasure. After all, the thrill of the find was why I became addicted to shopping, not because I needed anything. Ok, back to rock room to start a donation bag from pile of clothes. Thanks for being here.

Re: smaller. It is odd how Mrs Dave and "little" Mr Dave now seem to be taller than I am! "Mom, We shrank Dad!!" :) :)

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Karl :)
WAY TO GO!!!
Freeing up space by storing unneeded stuff and also for waking up in time to see that the alarm was not activated! :D
Have a wonderful time out with your friends. :)

Hi Dave :)
Thank you. Sorry to hear you had to have so many fillings. (((hugs)))
Interested to hear your thoughts concerning the "Eeyore complex".
I once met a horse who had it real bad but we were able to help him overcome it with oats and treacle.
Danger, danger Will Robinson when entering dollar stores and used book stores. ;D

Today I am just frittering about.
No real challenges to tackle.
Just the usual daily stuff to do.
Thinking and thinking about how I will continue to dismantle that carport.
It's like the worlds biggest, nastiest and most dangerous game of "Jenga" ever.
Items must be removed in the proper order to prevent a deadly avalanche.
Also, a lot of that stuff is too big and heavy for me to move on my own even with a hand truck.
I am not very big and I am 62 years old.
But I must do this now because I just keep getting older and smaller every year. ;D

TTYL :)

Oops. I'm suffering from telephone screen. Sorry, I see that was Bead work,not head work!

Head work - sailor - shine appliances and floor :).

Re Wednesday suicide issue. Trouble sleeping - just realized I have almost successfully made it through another Wednesday. I have been considering an exercise to combat Eeyore complex. I will make a post when I have time to organize and express all the details. (It may not be possible for hoarders on shopping proscription because it will require dollar tree and used bookstore purchases.)

Glad to hear dental trip went OK. I have self care issues- 7 fillings after last trip.

I survived the dental cleaning and the hygienist even gave me an A+ since there wasn't much for her to clean. :D
As a reward I stopped by Burger King on the way home and got a small chocolate milk shake and a small fries.

Hi Dave :)
I have been watching some Brooks Palmer videos on Youtube.
Never sold or bought anything on eBay so I am unhappy to hear that you can buy moldy books there. :(

I have read several articles about library books becoming infested with bed bugs from books being in infested homes.
Libraries have even had to burn books to get rid of the problem when professional extermination won't work.

Another winter storm is blowing in today.
Windy but not too cold yet, not a nice day to play outside.
Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and snowing all day long.
Going to relax now and do some bead work. :)

From a combination of reading Brooks Palmer and trying to think carefully about what I'm doing, I think that kind of behavior is an attempt to do 2 things: 1) Validate our perception that the items have value by forcing someone else to value them by taking them, and 2) to "let go" of the item but still control it.
I take the bags of books and computer carcasses to the recycle center. I watch the manager scurry over and latch onto the computers and drag them over to the office area for a "regular" that "does something" with old computers. (except he wasn't there this last time-maybe something has happened to him.) I watch people fluttering like rats over the bags of books (and the one guy I see sometimes checking the value of "possibles" on his cell phone.) Not too much room to talk because I look at stuff on the shelves too. However, I could just throw them away. (And by the way, people sell moldy books on eBay. I've gotten several.)