~Yesterday was 'March 4th(Forth)', the only day that is a sentence, and a good one for all of us!
Tillie, im working on a new word for my 'home' that doesnt make me want to puke. My previous homes all had loads of charm, character & history. This thing does not, but my forest was almost a federal park before i bought it!
CM, im so glad you have your van going! Im really limited now, too. I can only go 45 mph & i put the hazard lights on when cars are behind me.
Porter, i think you are amazing! And i bet someday your daughter will cherish the memories yall made together!
Tatoulia, 'puttering music' sounds great! Have fun with your friend decorating!
I now have cows, in addition to all these other invading critters. Last night the skunk was chewing away at the cat food bin in my bedroom & would not leave or shut up. I ended up so frustrated & mad at it i repeatedly shot at it with my BB gun, knowing what would happen...and it did...so now im all bundled up with fans on & windows open...i have a new plan tho....
~♡~Love to you all!~♡~

~Yesterday was 'March 4th(Forth)', the only day that is a sentence, and a good one for all of us!
Tillie, im working on a new word for my 'home' that doesnt make me want to puke. My previous homes all had loads of charm, character & history. This thing does not, but my forest was almost a federal park before i bought it!
CM, im so glad you have your van going! Im really limited now, too. I can only go 45 mph & i put the hazard lights on when cars are behind me.
Porter, i think you are amazing! And i bet someday your daughter will cherish the memories yall made together!
Tatoulia, 'puttering music' sounds great! Have fun with your friend decorating!
I now have cows, in addition to all these other invading critters. Last night the skunk was chewing away at the cat food bin in my bedroom & would not leave or shut up. I ended up so frustrated & mad at it i repeatedly shot at it with my BB gun, knowing what would happen...and it did...so now im all bundled up with fans on & windows open...i have a new plan tho....
~♡~Love to you all!~♡~

Porter,

My condolences on the loss of your wife. Even though things weren't ideal, I'm sure there was love there and that you have some grief, so just know you're thought of by another friend here.

I have good news - my van is back as of this morning. There is a fuel smell the mechanic noticed but couldn't find a leak. I've noticed it off and on for some time. I pray that it will be found and easily fixable and not dangerous till it is found.

Having the van back changes the picture of how my life has been for so many weeks. Lots of catching up to do - and I still want to keep progressing here at home even though I now have the option of going out. Plus the cost of the repairs means I won't be able to go nuts shopping or eating out or anything, and that's fine. I'm just glad to be able to go to the library or my doctor's appointment, church, etc.

Captcha is AVENUE REBEL. How 'bout that! ;)

I rent a house.
It is a basement with the same foot print as the first floor, but it floods during extreme rain in excess of 1.5 inch an hour.
So it contains my hoard in totes on tables.

The first floor has four main rooms in the shape of a square.
The room with stairs has so much less space that I only keep a book shelf and a comfy chair .

The living room is very small with three theater chairs in it . And a 65" smart tv.
I put the dinning room in the front room instead of the living room. It fits my dinning room table better . It's a glass top table 6.1" in diameter. Eight chairs of mohogany sp . Claw foot. It's great for bible study . Or poker, but is difficult to reach the center if your not standing. Typically I keep roses in a vase in the center.

I used to ave a second card table like lounge , but turned it into a bed room. On the front of the house is large covered porch 10x24 I keep bikes and the second card table out there. Also in the same 10x24 in the back of the house is the kitchen and bathroom
The upstairs has very large master bedroom. A second bedroom is 12x9 . And the last bedroom is 9x7. I sleep here when the house is too hot or cold to heat or cool the whole house. There's a tent inside it. I keep all my survival gear.
packed in The room. I have an 8 inch foam bedding I side that prefer more that the traditial bed but there's no bathroom upstairs. I also keep a roll top desk in the master bedroom , but the master bed room is an art room and as many Instruments in it. The medium bed room is stark empty so if anyone wanting to live there could just move right in unfettered.

The yard is very small. But I park right up next to the house and have a fire pit and four chairs. The gutters leak so bad I cath the rain in large tubs and use the fresh water in various ways.
It's too much house for one person. But I can afford the rent on my own it takes 1/4 my pay per month. But it also has enough capacity to keep all my hoard neatly organized, And contained in the basement.

My favorite room is the dinning room it's the one with beautiful furniture and guests congregate there. There's a sofa able on one wall. And on it is two kuerig beverage makers. One for tea the other for coffee. The kitchen has an impressive amout of shelving I installed so my pantry is vast.
I keep a stock of canned and boxed foods to last 6 months. So there's enough tea and coffee of so many sorts. I use 100 shatter proof air tight containers. To keep all my foods. From being eaten by bugs or rodents.

I built a perch for my cat Jackie to look out of all four side of the house or sleep in the sun in the window sills. She prefers to be outside in better weather.

Quick drive by. Spent day by myself. BF is sick poor thing, and I'm taking Wednesday off to spend with mom, so I decided to take the day to myself. I basically just relaxed and I feel better for it. I did shower and wash my hair. I also got out to grocery store.

My friend called from overseas. I can't wait til she's here and we can start moving the furniture and finalizing our plans.

It is fun hearing about everyone's houses! I live on one floor in an old brownstone. The layout is very nice, with the bedroom on one end and the living spaces in the back. I have very high ceilings and tall windows. My bedroom has a giant curved wall and in the back I have a bay window where my dining table, chairs, new drapes and chandelier are. My apt is small but the high ceilings give it a grander feel. The layout is also very helpful-with the rooms spread apart it feels more spacious. But it's not. 🙂

Thanks subc

The process of moving on from a marriage has no guarantees.,
Is why I'm sooooo focussed on mine own health.
I do want to love again. I didn't expect to.
But I've had two crushes on other women since my wife passed. I dont know that ready for competing for woman. But I'm starting to put myself out there.
I had resigned myself to thinking I'd date only women my age .
But after the last crush, where having a child was discussed.
It stirred me.
So no I don't just want a younger woman. I want to find a match and if we have a family that would make me happy too. Nothing off the table. But I don't want to have kids I can't raise. So it would need to be soon.
I'm in the christian singles dating thing but I'm just exploring.

I also finally settled on music

I have organization music . And then a faster upbeat music to switch to actually cleaning , with water, vaccum, or scrubbings
Such a subtle difference. But it's like I can get caught in a mood to just keep organizing and reorginizing but nothing get cleaned. But now I put fast tempo music an I. The playlist. It switches by itself. And within a song or two it prompts me to get out the towels and start cleaning .

Porter,

I am glad that you are finding ways to let your art heal you.

I wanted to comment on something you said a while back, about 49 being too old to have another family.

49 is not too old to be a father. There are women in their 40's having children. Yes, usually early 40's, but if you met the right woman, that would not be too much of an age gap.

There are 1,000s of children in need of foster homes and new families. My friend adopted her two youngest daughters as toddlers - her third "family" in her 50s.

My dad had a serious health scare at 47. He lost 100lbs and became a runner. He said "one of the glories of a misspent youth is that middle age looks pretty good" people would see him out with my baby and think he was her dad. you are already well on your way.

Tillie, I too am enjoying the dollhouse stories. I love the parallels between your dollhouse and real house. I wonder if my real house would be easier to manage if 8 thought of it as a giant dollhouse?

My youngest is home for spring break. She has brought things to store in my house. Her lease ends the beginning of May and she does not know where she will go. She graduates and doesn't have a job lined up yet.

This week I'm being a little selfish .
I started cleaning the art room. The room I prepared for my daughter to do artist things. She left it all behind , said to throw it all away. It was like a grief. I lost the daughter I was trying to raise, but that is just what I was wanting for her.

I started re arranging the room into to fit my habits.
I don't use it for creative outlet. Or those habits would silence my efforts to explore other artist behaviors.

I'm not good at painting or drawing. But I can do poorly at calligraphy . I recently bought a dozen roses on valentines day. And managed to give away three roses. They were white. I put the rest Into a vase on my dinning table and said to myself . These are for me joking to myself. I just don't love myself that much, but I'm trying to.
After the roses no longer look nice wilted. I put them in my food dehydrator. Then carefully peeled the pedals . Rehydrated them in a microwave bag. And then let air dry flattened like paper. Today I'm writing words I wrote as poems for my silent crush. On the pedals and putting them I to a special vase. In my hoard is special vase that put something personal from every girl or woman I've ever felt passion for. The crush is over when I broke my silence. She was polite in letting know she wouldn't feel the same.
So I've been putting my time into those roses that were for me. I hadn't felt that way in many years and I'm spending my day putting the roses away into the hoard , but before I do , I'm letting my feelings be expressed in artistic fashion.
I think it's good enough to be framed and placed on one of my walls.
It is tiny poem about a kiss I blew that has lost it's way.
And on one of the pedals is a kiss. I made with the calligraphy pen. Then I plan to put it all away. Leaving no mess behind.

Good Morning Everybody :)
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia :)
Hope everybody there is alright after that storm.
Gusting winds shaking buildings is enough to make anybody queasy. (((hugs)))
WTG! for dishes & laundry! :D
Glad you are enjoying my dollhouse escapades.
It's like a miniature of my real life.
Spending years hunting for exactly what I want and need.
Sometimes I have too much or not the right things.
Finding something better and then having to let go of something else not quite right.
In real life after Steven's Grandmother died we had her entire household of items.
Some things I immediately sold at a yard sale or donated to a thrift shop.
But there was a lot that I did not know if I wanted or not because I had not lived with them in my own home.
At the time I was living in a converted bus RV.
So we had boxes and furniture in storage for about a year.
When we moved into a little place I slowly unpacked the boxes and lived with the items for a while.
Only then could I decide what I wanted to keep for myself. It took several years to make all the final decisions.
She was a dear friend of mine and now I have just the things of hers that I treasure and use.

Hi Subclinical :)
Happy that you went to the feed store. :D
I enjoyed reading about your home.
My house started out as a one room house in a mining camp that is now a ghost town.
Someone moved the house to where it now stands.
At some time someone wired it for electricity once the dam was built and electricity was available, 1930s 0r 40s.
Then someone added on an indoor bathroom and indoor plumbing.
Then someone not skilled at all in building added two tiny rooms on the north side as bedrooms.

I love that most all of us here live in homes that have a lot of character, personality and history. :D

Another dusting of snow over night but lots of sunshine today.
Looks like I may get to put on my snow boots and hang out laundry on Tuesday.

Anony, my home is a modified double-wide prefab.

They put it on a basement instead of a foundation, so on3 bathroom was reduced to allow stairs. and then added a pop-up half story (there are big hinges in my crawl space) and porches we enclosed the porches, and added an entry hall and big room on the back.

I think You should consider yourself part of the trendy "modular living" or "small house" movement. A lot of those " tiny houses" are basically cramped, expensive trailers.

I went to the feed store today, which where I live is a social outing. I bought a T-shirt I like but don't need and two more baby goat collars, and I made a possible sale contact for one of the boy babies.

Hello everyone!

We had a big storm here yesterday--all water and wind. My office was creaking and by mid day I felt queasy. i changed desks and felt much better. The buildings are designed to take the wind.

I was with brother today and stopped by to see mom. BF is coming down with something. I'm doing my sheets in the washer and I have my dishwasher running.

Tillie your dollhouse fascinates me--esp the idea that it needs to be de-boarded. I got a lot out of that process. Thank you.

I know that everyone has interesting things going on and forgive me for not writing them down just now. Know that I'm glad to see everyone on here. I'm going to put on some puttering music.

Good Morning Everybody :)
"Clink!"

Snowed all last afternoon and night.
This morning the sun is shining and the world is covered with bright white snow!.
Looks so clean and beautiful.
Very quiet out there too because we are all kind of snowed in now.
I offered all the cats the chance to go outside and none of them accepted. ;P
My plans for today are to just hang out in here. :)

Hello Everyone :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Boy, I sure hope that trade/deal works out for you.
I like that artsy fartsy paint job you are planning on doing to it! :D
My décor & clothing style is old Hippie chick. ;)
How about using "modular home" instead of trailer?

Snowing right now. Gentle little fluffs slowly falling down.
My dollhouse was having a clutter/hoarding problem.
Since I recently purchased two whole rooms of fine, fancy, quality furniture and accessories I now have a bit too much.
Been sorting out and making very hard decisions as to what I want to keep and what to let go of.
All of the new furniture is keepers but some of the new accessories are not to my liking.
Now there are six pieces of furniture that I no longer need and some of the old accessories were only added because they fit and filled the space.
This has been really hard because the old furniture was extremely hard to find or I made it myself.
Some of the old accessories are quality pieces but are the wrong style for the house.
Next week somebody is going to be so happy to find these items for sale at the thrift shop.
It feels really good to have all the excess sorted out.
Now, I will keep searching/hunting for the items that I would still like to have in my dollhouse.
WHAT FUN!!! ;D

~♡~Howdy, Hoarder Homies!!!~♡~
SubC, I totally understand about swimming being like a meditation! I used to do laps after work & it was AMAZING!!! It sounds perfect for you!
Porter, WOW! You have come a long way! And 49 is not 'too old' for love at all!!! ~♡~
Tillie, i love that youre having such fun with your doll house!
Im trying to work a trade with my friend to help me put panels on the front of my trailer(i detest that word!) where the old ones fell off. He hasnt been real good about his end of trades so far, but im gonna up my pushing him on this! The $180. i loaned him to get his truck out of impound would be an excellent trade for me if he even halfway helps me with this! Im going to paint them colorfully for a cute, funky, artsy look....rather than the current trailer trash look...ha ha ;D

~♡~Howdy, Hoarder Homies!!!~♡~
SubC, I totally understand about swimming being like a meditation! I used to do laps after work & it was AMAZING!!! It sounds perfect for you!
Porter, WOW! You have come a long way! And 49 is not 'too old' for love at all!!! ~♡~
Tillie, i love that youre having such fun with your doll house!
Im trying to work a trade with my friend to help me put panels on the front of my trailer(i detest that word!) where the old ones fell off. He hasnt been real good about his end of trades so far, but im gonna up my pushing him on this! The $180. i loaned him to get his truck out of impound would be an excellent trade for me if he even halfway helps me with this! Im going to paint them colorfully for a cute, funky, artsy look....rather than the current trailer trash look...ha ha ;D

Good Morning Everybody :)
First morning tea "clink!"

Hi Subclinical :)
WAY TO GO! for all the swimming! :D
Seems like a great way to exercise and release a lot of physical tension.
Is the remaining tension coming from those nasty nagging voices in your head?
I practice talking back to all my nasty negative voices. Telling them off and strongly making positive statements. (((HUGS)))

Hi Porter :)
Yes, you have traveled such a long hard road to get where you are right now.
All your hard work and self discovery has been paying off tremendously.
Keep up all the great striving for a better future and things will continue to improve in your own spiritual awareness.
There are a lot of nice single females in your age bracket out there, you just need to be patient and you will find someone.
To find someone with common interests as you, you need to get out in the community where they tend to be.
Find a healthy nutrition cooking class, find a place where people are working on ecologically based housing, go to a place concerned with finding good homes for stray cats, etc...
Those are the places where you will find someone to spend time with. (((HUGS)))

The terrible winds have finally stopped. They tore up a lot of the metal roofing on the carport last night.
Doesn't really concern me, I have nothing in the carport, but he has a massive Heap-O-Hoard out there.
The overflow from the garage, stuff he doesn't want to get wet.
The stuff right up against the house where lots of mice, rats and venomous spiders live.
Anyways, today I will do a little bit of tidying up in here then do some more playing.
Been having fun redecorating the dollhouse as I find things to re-do it with.
Yesterday I found the perfect fabric to re-carpet the tiny bedroom. :)

Checking in.

Things are well. Still focussed on health of just myself.
It's seems long ago now, that I felt that desperate feeling of living in a hoard , but overwhelmed. By the amount of ti e and effort to live a non hoarded purged life.

It was a 15 year struggle living with a hoarder . Individually we were not hoarders , but together we added up to being a family of hoarders . No other word could describe us better. Hoarders.
It became time to let others in to the help with my wife's medical issues. So I started in the kitchen , then the bath room. Then the areas that connected the kitch and bath .
Then I purged the entire front room by stacking all of it somewhere else in the house . The dinning room.

For support I would vent my thoughts here . Instead of venting my frustrations to my wife and child.

I reached out to family and friends and scheduled a day before superbowl clearing party. With lots of chili .
Bought a ton of containers that are for stacking , rented a storage unit. We cleared the entire downstairs of all objects , painted walls and re carpeted . It was a very open area that any and everyone could be safe and clean sitiing with us.

My wife's health got much worse , she could no longer go upstairs to her room. The next week end I organized the storage and made a digital photograph of every tub in storage so that even if not optimized the hoard was easily accessible .
So I organized the storage like a horseshoe. Dividing my stuff from their stuff , their stuff separated too. We each had a wall of clutter. But I was purging mine to better fit .

Shortly there after I moved my wife's bed downstairs into the cleared dinning room, but the mattress was damaged it was better we got a huge couch and put it in the back porch that is finished like the rest of the house.it was near the bathroom .
I tackled her room upstairs and mine. Into more totes then took them to storage too, but had to get a second unit.
Only 1 room left. My daughters room . One day when her friends came for a visit. I bribed them with a drum set if they would help me move her room into her mothers old room , it was bigger. And now the whole house was purged.

But I still got help from my wife's insurance benefits of a cleaning support once every two weeks. And my wife's mother began to stay with us to help with more care while I was at work.
Again I sought help to vent here Instead of to their faces.

Then our landlord did an inspection. Then for unknown reason put us out in twenty days. During the move my wife became so I'll she was hospitalized , only spending a few weeks in the new house .

I was able to move everything out the storages Into the basement. But my wife left home for her mothers , I was told I was not welcome there. Shortly after my daughter decided to go live with her aunt. Now I was in a single income situation with four bedroom house. Living alone.

I rearranged the house and geared it for poker parties , I made just enough money to help pay the bills , and it was nice to not have a lonely house, but a friend hade a better place and my poker crowd now gies to his place sometimes.

I received word that my wife died and at the funeral I was treated like a hoarder and that it was all my fault, even told that her cancer was probably because of the way we lived.
I emailed them pictures. Stating that it wasn't just me, dead mice and two decomposed rats in her bed. I stopped living in her room shortly after our daughter was born. We lived in seperste rooms for more than ten years.

I purged nearly every trace of her possessions. There s nothing left. My daughters too. I kept her room ready if she decided to come back, but after awhile I just decided it's her stuff and she can deal with it. Then the basement flooded 14 inches. I lost alot of my things but I spend a week sterilizing the wet basement . And put metal legged tables and put containers on the tables . All my hoard is still in the basement.
I then adopted a daily cleaning ritual where in my solitude I would start in the yard , and clean in a spiral path .every room until every room was cleaned every day. Then as I no longer felt compulsive about the cleaning have made it a weekly event that akes two days .

My hoarders house is gone , but so is my family.
I'm slowly bring in artful things and learning to love myself better. Ive started getting crushes on women and try to date ,but I'm 49. So it's not the same as being 30 with the chance of raising children again.

I'm no longer terrified of anyone coming into my home. Nor do I feel overwhelmed keeping the house clean. I've minimized the things I collect.my cat kills any mice there's no bugs, and keep only two bowls two plates , two spoons and forks in the kitchen sink.
The food has scrutinized, I become a health food eater. I've self taught myself about longevity . Utilizing diet and exercise to be on path to live longer through fasting and excellent nutrition and possibly love again.

I mean I love my cat Jackie , but I'm looking for a woman now. Life's too short to live without passion.

Yay! Great to hear from anony and criticalmass! I so wish I could see the quilt.

I have been swimming. I have been swimming longer and longer and longer. Tonight I swam 2000 meters. I am realizing it is not exercise, it is meditation, or possibly just escapism. I have ear issues, so i wear fancy earplugs to keep water out - they also keep out sound. The pool plays music, but all I can hear is my breathing. I have very poor vision, so even with goggles, I can barely see the lane mark on the bottom of the pool and that is all. I am "alone", wrapped in water, I count laps, I don't want to get out.

When I finally do get back to the car I am so relaxed, but by the time I got home almost an hour later tonight I realized I was driving with one hand and the other was clenched in a fist.

My socks have been getting holes. I bought a 3pack of new sports socks.

How wonderful to catch up with you both! :D

Hi CriticalMass :)
Sounds like there is a lot of interesting things going on there this month.
Hope you get to attend them all.
Electrical wiring on vehicles is always a big headache to get all straightened out.
Hope it's not much longer.


Hi Anonymoniker :)
WAY TO GO! for all your 3 daily goals! :D
I'm so happy you are not feeling guilty and sticking to your resolutions concerning that relationship. (((HUGS)))

~♡~Greetings & coffee clinks to all!!!~♡~
Elsa, i love that quote! And it is very applicable to my situation here, as well as my life in general! :D
I dont think id know enough high tech talk to explain anything about the website on my phone? Its like its not mobile anymore. I have to keep expanding & sliding the screen across to read posts. Once im writing, it doesnt seem different.
Ive been trying to have 3 goals a day that are not just routine maintenance. That has worked well for me.
Today, i want to do the shelf over the toilet in the bathroom. Im simply going to clean everything & rearrange it to look nicer....i havent figured out the other 2 goals yet?
....aside from my place being in its usual disgusting state, ive been dealing with personal boundaries with both my ex, who wont accept my new boundaries & i wont have it any other way, so, just like a child, he has a tantrum, then apologizes, like that is enough & thinks ill take him back. Im at a place where id rather be alone! And, my long time friend's husband makes trouble every time they visit, and i have made it clear im not letting him come back. And i dont feel guilty about it! HA!
~♡~I hope you each have a fantastic day & have a chance today to experience that amazing feeling of accomplishment & the fresh, lightness than letting go of stuff, dust & darkness bring us all!!!~♡~

~♡~Greetings & coffee clinks to all!!!~♡~
Elsa, i love that quote! And it is very applicable to my situation here, as well as my life in general! :D
I dont think id know enough high tech talk to explain anything about the website on my phone? Its like its not mobile anymore. I have to keep expanding & sliding the screen across to read posts. Once im writing, it doesnt seem different.
Ive been trying to have 3 goals a day that are not just routine maintenance. That has worked well for me.
Today, i want to do the shelf over the toilet in the bathroom. Im simply going to clean everything & rearrange it to look nicer....i havent figured out the other 2 goals yet?
....aside from my place being in its usual disgusting state, ive been dealing with personal boundaries with both my ex, who wont accept my new boundaries & i wont have it any other way, so, just like a child, he has a tantrum, then apologizes, like that is enough & thinks ill take him back. Im at a place where id rather be alone! And, my long time friend's husband makes trouble every time they visit, and i have made it clear im not letting him come back. And i dont feel guilty about it! HA!
~♡~I hope you each have a fantastic day & have a chance today to experience that amazing feeling of accomplishment & the fresh, lightness than letting go of stuff, dust & darkness bring us all!!!~♡~

HAPPY MARCH!

Aquamarine is the birthstone - it was my dad's. :)

I'll try to start posting in here a little bit and more often again. Still don't have my van (more below on that) and it's like the rhythm of my life has been so different - I posted about that before; some of it has been a good thing and allowed for catching up loose ends.

Welcome Elise, I have ADD & OCD too so I feel ya! I had read sometime back that ADD may be more of a trigger for hoarding than OCD. The jury's probably still out. But welcome to our wild & crazy fun bunch.

Anony, I was just thinking about you last night! Hope the computer or whatever glitches will allow you and everyone who wants to post to do so easily from here on out.

I did get to go to my clutter club last week, with the friend who also goes. She's the one I had some tension with over the cat sitting. We are speaking, I guess she thought I wasn't speaking to her. It'll take more time to work out the issue about the cats but otherwise we're business as usual. I'm glad; I don't like unresolved stuff with friends. It nags at my mind and makes me feel discouraged.

This month we're supposed to have a couple of guys at the clutter meeting who have hoarding cleaning franchises including the one for Steri-Clean. I remember the latter fellow from when Cory came to my town, though it was Cory I spoke with more at length.

So during my enforced confinement, I have been getting some things done. Laundry going now. Planning to do some paperwork stuff that will reduce clutter and reclaim areas for creative fun activity. Been doing some writing of short pieces and more planning for completing the draft of my sci-fi book. I also feel a need for doing crafts - doll clothes and/or quilting.

This weekend is the quilt bingo fundraiser at my church. I'll have to see how my transportation situation goes. The guild also finished quilting the quilt I finished last year and donated. I cut the binding strips there at church yesterday (more room to spread out!) and will embark on the mysterious process of how they get sewn onto the quilt (hoping it's easier than it looks in the instructions), and then it will be done!

Re the van: Been in touch with the mechanic, sounds like it's getting close to being done. It's taken longer due to the electrical wiring problem and the difficulties he's had ordering parts for such an ancient vehicle. It will likely need a battery too, but I have been given a membership to Costco where I understand they can be had at a reasonable price.

So MAYBE by the next time I post I will have wheels...

Captcha is Ruud Flugplatz. German? Klingon?

Good Morning Everybody :)
Tea "clink!"
It's March already.
For being the shortest month, February seemed to drag on a long time for me this year.

The winds are raging today bringing in the next snow storm.
Not a nice day to venture outside for anything.
Good thing I have fun stuff to do inside. ;D

Tatoulia, WTG! for clearing off that little table! :D

Everybody stay safe with all these storms brewing all across the Nation. (((hugs)))

Hello :)

LOL Subclinical :D

Hi Tatoulia (AKA ?)
Happy theatre was excellent!

Lets see...
Hard to explain since I don't know the proper names of these things.
Not new drapes, same old ones that the cats haven't snagged up too bad.
Drapes are gold with a lot of green leafy foliage.
What's new is what the drapes hang from, whatever they are called.
Two attractive "wall sconces" attached at either side of the window.
A long pole with finials on the ends goes through the "sconces".
On the pole I put round wooden rings and the curtain hooks attach to them to hang the drapes.
What I had before were larger and darker.
The new arrangement is light and silvery and looks refreshing.

That's the one problem with buying everything at the thrift shop.
When you really need something, you get whatever you can find to use until you finally find something that is exactly what you want. :D

Oh you two just made me feel so much better! Thank you SubC and Tillie! I actually identified myself as Tillie's friend when speaking with Cory!

Tillie what do your new curtains look like? I would love a description!

SubC I hope you are feeling better. I know you have been weary both mentally and physically. I'm thinking of you. I'll make you an honorary member of the club knowing my first and last name (can you believe I posted my last name too?!). I was mortified. But then I knew that you all would protect me. And console me.

Theatre was excellent. Going to set up my coffee now. I made some progress today--cleared off the little table next to the couch.

Well, I was feeling a little sad that I didn't get to be in the secret "I will never reveal tatoulia's true identity" club, but if Tillie isn't in it, it's not much of a club.

No news, carry on.

OH! Tatoulia!
So glad you contacted Cory to remove that post!
I have contacted him before to remove posts of other's who had posted too much personal information.
I did NOT see your post. (((hugs)))

Anonymoniker is having the same issues as you with viewing & posting here.

I have to sweep the area by the back door and the bathroom every day because the cats have sticky gummy little feet and carry kitty litter all over around the litter boxes.
I gave up putting the broom away and just keep it right there all the time now because I seem to need to sweep all through out the day just to keep the litter from tracking all through the house.
But I do have a few more cats than you. ;)

Have a wonderful time tonight at the theatre! :D


I did a little of this and that today.
Have a bag ready for donation, mostly the old drapery hanging up stuff.
The new set up looks so much nicer than what I had up.
Got all caught up on the usual daily tidying up and tomorrow I plan to spend more time playing. ;D

Ok a lot of news here. One/I posted with my real name/first and last so if anybody saw it, let's keep it our secret. Two/I spoke with Cory! a real treat. He fixed my post. We talked a lot about the site problems and it looks fine to him but not to me. He wants to know if it's weird for anyone else and if so, we need to let him know.

Good idea to contact Cory. I'm trying to find a way to define the problem--then I will get in touch. I'm keeping up with papers today. And laundry. I'm maintaining my clean areas. I may have to learn to sweep every day. Tiny cat carries the litter around in her paws. Plus the city is really grimy. I have theatre tonight so will just concentrate on work/work. Your thrift shop/food bank is lovely--warms my heart.

Well unfortunately I used my real name in the below post. I'm upset but it's out of my hands.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Our food bank is also the charity thrift shop.
Thursdays they pass out the food to the people who show up for it, over 120 people.
They often get more food donated than they can pass out so they put it in the thrift shop.
Perishable foods, like produce, are given out for free and they sell non perishable stuff extremely inexpensively.
They always have wonderful generous donations from people and businesses so I can always find what I need for the home and my personal needs there.
Their prices are extremely affordable and they always have 50% off sales.
The money I spend shopping in the thrift shop is then used to buy any foods the food bank needs.
And if someone is down on their luck and needs a coat or shoes etc. they just give it to them.
They also will come out to a home where someone has died and load up and take whatever the family has decided to donate.
Plus, the people working there are very nice and we spend a lot of time chatting and catching up with each other. :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA!!! WAY TO GO!!! for being greeted by that clear and clean happy area when you came in from work! (((hugs))) :D

Since I am not experiencing any format difficulties
Maybe one of you who are could talk to Cory and explain what the problem is?
He might be able to fix it for us. :)

Bitterly cold today but mostly sunny. Tomorrow the snow/ice storm returns.
Too cold to hang out laundry, needs to be above 32 for at least 4 hours to dry stuff.
Did wash the cleaning rags and some clothes last night and they dried on the racks inside.
Today I will put up the new drape bar and also do some cooking, thinking about making some spaghetti. ;)
Then clean the kitchen again.

Good morning! Coffee clinks!

I had meetings last night after a fairly stressful day at work. I got home and was so happy to walk into my house and see the area that I had cleaned and cleared. I need to build momentum.

Then, after I made dinner, I felt happy when I read everyone's posts. There was some sad stuff but I was happy to see so many people posting.

I am struggling with the format here. I will power up my iPad and see if Joan's suggestion helps me out.

Will post more later.

I didn't bring home all of the spaghetti - we shared it around. I have about 5 pounds. Still a lot for 2 people.

Tillie, i'm Glad you had a good day. And Joan, it's great that you were able to get some laundry done.

Elise, I hope you were able to make the call for help. It's really brave of you to reach out.

I got to the store yesterday and I accomplished dinner, using up the kale before it all went bad (I did have to set some aside for the chickens)

Good Evening Everybody :)

Hi Subclinical :)
So sorry about those voices (((HUGS)))
WTG! for disbudding and inoculating!
That's sure a LOT of spaghetti ;D
But it does keep well and can be very versatile.

Hi Elise :)
Please do set up a meeting with those folks.
I know how scary it can be but it would really help you out.
The professionals understand how hard this is for you and they have ways to help make you feel more comfortable allowing them into your home and life.
(((HUGS)))

Hi Joan :)
WAY TO GO!!!! for washing the blanket and sweater and especially for clean underwear!!! ;D
Hope you manage to shake that virus real quick. (((HUGS)))

Well, got up this morning and decided to go into town since it was not snowing or raining today, just bitterly cold & breezy.
Wanted a new curtain rod and end bits for the new wall paint and was able to find a lovely set at the thrift shop for 5.00. YEA!!!
Also have been wanting a new pair of SAS sandals and always keep a look out for them.
The thrift shop had 3 pairs, all new never worn and all in my size, 30.00 each pair.
I chose the light blue suede pair and that saved me 100.00 off the true cost of these sandals. :D
Also went to the water depot and refilled 2 bottles. Found 5 pennies on the ground there.
Then I went grocery shopping.
It was a Good day. :)

Hi Tillie! Hi Tat! Thanks for the shoutouts, everyone.

Because of my health issues, I only manage to do about one load of laundry every couple of months. It is difficult, because many things have to be moved to get to the washer, and then moved back after laundry is done, etc. Laundry day was supposed to be last week, but I had that cold, which has now moved into my bronchial tubes. The infection makes me tired but is otherwise quite manageable.

So I undertook to do laundry today, and am still finishing up. For extra credit, I washed my top blanket, and also the sweater I wear almost every day. I only go out for medical appts. and wear the same few clothes as I have for years. The house is full of new clothes, but the illness makes it too overwhelming to deal with more than a few clothing items, so clothes are stashed in many locales. The blanket and sweater have not been washed in at least ten years, the sweater probably since it was new. It is a momentous occasion.

Nothing quite as good for morale as clean underwear.

4:56PM. Just had a micro power failure at the conclusion of writing this post. Had to figure out how to get back onto my network. Tat, try powering up your iPad and then hitting the HOME button. My iPad was playing dead for a while there after powering him up, but he wanted me to go HOME. 4:58PM.

captcha MUNSTER FOR SALE (?!?!?!)

Hello again everyone:

Thanks for the welcome and thoughtful responses. I've enjoyed reading all of your posts and can relate in many ways so it's good to not feel judged and such.

I'm sorry to delay my own posts but I suffer rather severe anxiety issues and my current situation is a bit of a Catch-22 nightmare that's gotten me going in circles. So I'll try to share as I'm able.

My story is a very convoluted and complex one so I'll just start with the basics:
I'm in Georgia in a small house divided into three units (mine is just a one-bedroom, three rooms total not counting the bathroom) so not much space here. I do have a lot of clutter and such but it's clean in the sense there's no dirt/bugs/mold/spoiled food etc. I'm very sensitive to smell and have allergies so I have to be careful about dust mites, etc.
I have two grown sons (one just moved in for a bit), no pets but I dog-sit my older son's elderly Chihuahua on occasion. I also took in a homeless man over Thanksgiving, so I've had to get creative despite the piles of stuff everywhere.

I have contacted the folks here who do cleaning and organizing as well as counseling, and they have responded with a request to come see my place and do an assessment. I really need this help but I'm also scared because I have a lot of psychological issues involved, as well as OCD and ADD, which do NOT go well together! :-/ A lot of my issues have to do with my past and my current "identity crisis" for lack of a better explanation.

I'm building my courage to set up a visit, but I hope I'll be able to master the guts to send them an answer today.

There is a little quote I have on a small plaque that helps me keep my focus on moving forward. Maybe it will help someone else here as well, since a lot of the struggle can involve letting go of things that represent both wonderful and painful memories yet are preventing growth and living for the present and a better future:

"Never let your memories become greater than your dreams."

Cheers,
Elise 🦋

Hi anony!

Wonderful about your garden fence! I'm sorry you are having format difficulties. I am on an iPad and did not notice a change, but I have been frustrated by such things elsewhere.

Tatoulia, I think you are doing very well! I gave up on the idea of "caught up" years ago. Now I just channel my Paternal grandmother who always said "good enough." She died relatively young, and now sometimes I think "if I had another 15 years, I could spend them staging my life or living it." She definitely chose the second one.

My other grandmother loved all the grace notes, and I remember holidays done to the nines at her home. Christmas was a wonderland of food and decorations and fancy presents - I loved it, but I loved Christmas at Mom mom's too - where it was loud and messy and nobody ever told you not to eat pie with your fingers or feed the dog from your plate. Or even insisted on a plate.

I spent years trying to be a magazine ready mom, but i'm realizing i'm going to be a toy cars on the stairs kind of grandmother and I just need to embrace it.

Interestingly, the "everything is perfect" grandmother was the hoarder - a very clean, organized, hoarder with a huge home. She adored us, but she was very "thing" focused - "I love you, so I will shower you with gifts" the other grandmother was very people focused - "I love you, so you can use my kitchen implements to make imaginary food in the backyard and jump on the couch and sure you can eat the rest of the jam out of the jar - have a spoon."

I've been trying to remove "should" from my vocabulary.

So, I brought home a bunch of bread for the chickens yesterday and a bunch of spaghetti for me (the bags all came unsealed when we unpacked them, so we ended up with a couple dozen pounds of spaghetti in open sleeves - only choices were toss or give to volunteers.)

Dh brought home dinner because I failed to cope with it - again. My weight is up today. The voices in my head are loud, but I am working to silence them.

Yesterday I finished immunizations and disbudding, which were the two most important things in the barn. Now the most important thing is stalls, but I don't think I will finish today. I did do a little stall work and use some more cardboard yesterday.

I need some things from the grocery store today for packing dh lunch. I also want to achieve dinner.

Hello :D

Hi Joan :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
WTG! for filling the donation bag! :D
Being "caught up" means that there is nothing nagging at me, well except the cats. LOL ;D
When I'm all caught up I can relax and not feel pressured.
When caught up I can finally play and enjoy other things without feeling like I should be doing something else.
My life is easier and more enjoyable with more possibilities for creativeness.
Yes, being all caught up gives us so much more breathing space.
(((HUGS)))

One thing that helps me in getting caught up more quickly is to prioritize.
I want things to be easy to finish up so I am picky about what I will or won't do.
I do not want to spend more than a few minutes dusting knickknacks so I have very few but very treasured knickknacks.
I don't want to spend a lot of time moving furniture or things out of my way when I vacuum so I have only the furniture I like and use and do not allow random piles of things to lay around on the floor.
I like being able to fold/hang and put away laundry easily, so I don't allow the shelves & drawers to get overly stuffed full.
I decide on a certain number of each item I should have and do the "One In/One Out" rule to keep it under control.
If there is something in the house that causes me frustration because it's difficult, unmanageable or time consuming. I try to make it easier to deal with.
Being able to put things away easily is a major concern for me.
If it's hard to get out to use and hard to put away then I have to think of a better way.

It takes time to get a house all sorted out and organized to be easy to get & stay caught up.
You all have so many decisions to make about so many things.
Only difference between you and me is that I have already done the deciding.
Every day I still have to make more decisions.
What is garbage, what is worn out, broken beyond repair, to recycle/donate or is it just trash?
House work is never done & finished forever because we live and play in our homes.
When I go to a store I have to ask myself a million questions before buying something.
And believe me, I see so much nice, pretty, wonderful stuff and have to keep myself in check because I know how having too much stuff would make my life harder.
I am in no way a hard core minimalist. I have lots of nice things.
But I keep it all at a level that does not make it hard for me to keep it clean, organized, nicely displayed or put away.
I can be sick for a week or more but can get all caught up in one day.
Please believe that if you all keep working at it, making all those decisions, you too can and will have an easier home life a lot sooner than you think. (((HUGS)))

Hello Joan! I agree--good to hear from Anony! I hope we hear from some others tonight too.

My energy is good. I have the garbage and recycling out. I also got rid of the last of my old portable heaters and I put the new one in a clear plastic bag and in my closet.

I put a pair of shoes (very pretty--red suede pumps) as well as several sets of pjs in the donation bag. I haven't worn the shoes in quite a while. I want the pjs but frankly they aren't that flattering on. I bought a pair this weekend that is exactly the style and fabric I like and I've worn them two nights now/washed them today and will wear them again tonight. So I need to get rid of some pjs to "make room". Trying to be good and responsible.

I've completely cleared off dining room table and have dusted it. I did have to move stuff but I swear it's not churning. It's consolidating. Because the more I can see the clear the more I'll crave it. I've also polished two silver trays, have shredded, shredded, shredded and have kept that one kitchen counter clear. I've swept dining area and hallway.

Working away. Having more springlike weather helps. But mostly, it's having all of you here.

So happy to hear from you, Anony! ! !

I'm plugging my away. I had a big cup of coffee in the afternoon. I'm trying to get things done here.

I am continuing with laundry. Have my duvet cover in the washer right now. Kitty finally settled down and she's asleep next to me, in her little bed. Actually she's still kneading do she's not quite asleep.

I've got some energy so I'm shredding papers. I'm also making a goodwill donation bag. I've got to let go.

Tillie is it a good thing to be caught up? It's been so long I don't remember. I'm not being cute, im earnestly trying to tell myself that being caught up will be good for me. I'll be able to breathe.

Good Morning Everybody :)
"Clink!"

Hi Ena :)
WAY TO GO! for not adding new clutter and keeping on top of the cleaning! ;D
One thing I have noticed living with a hoarder is that even the smallest changes have been hard for him to adjust to.
But over time he has gotten a lot better at accepting and appreciating the changes.
Think about all the positive aspects of your new changes and in time I am sure you will get used to the newness of it all. :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Please take things slower as you regain your strength. (((hugs)))
Set only "high" priority tasks and if you do more, give yourself a big WTG! :)

HI ANONYMONIKER!!! :D
I didn't know there was a format change since my laptop is still the same format. :(
So WONDERFUL to hear from you.
Please post when you can, we really miss you (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA! for a good mattress buying excursion! :D
I'm a bit fussy too when it comes to sorting out laundry. Too hard to go against all the washing/drying rules my Granma taught me. ;)
WAY TO GO!!! for getting to wear that dress again! WOOHOO! ;D

Yesterday was such a welcome break in the weather but we are back to freezing cold, cloudy overcast and snow rain and ice again today.
Don't feel like doing much of anything but maybe after I finish drinking my tea I will feel like doing something.
It's only 8:30am here, the day is still young.

Anony!!! SubC!!! Coffe clinks!

Anony the new format is terrible on my phone. Really hard to read. My iPad is locked for some reason and I only have a work computer so I too am struggling with the format. I'm sorry about your car but excited about your fence! Please don't wait for a long post--just a drive by would be nice--I miss you when you're not here! And even a drive-by is helpful!

SubC I'm so impressed with all that you do. I am sending you strength. I'm glad you are using up the cardboard! I know those foam puzzle pieces--I hope they end up being yours! Will be a forgiving surface to stand on.

My windows are open today. It's probably 50F which is nice. I'm going to see if washer is open.

I know I generate a lot of laundry for one person. I do my sheets separately from my towels since they dry differently. I do jeans and fleece separately from pjs since the fabric textures are different. I don't know, I just split things up the way my mom did.

I have to run to drycleaner to pick up a dress I want to wear tomorrow. Going out for a nice lunch to celebrate a retirement. It's a dress I haven't been able to wear in a few years due to weight so I'm excited.

Right now I'm at a plateau. Haven't gained/haven't lost. But I'll lose the next 20. I know I will.

Hi all!! Ive been trying to figure out this new format. Its really hard to use on a phone...or maybe its just my phone, but its all different now. Before the site changed i was putting off posting till i had something accomplished to tell about. Anyway, i see there are several new people & yall seem to be doing well in making improvements & getting things better! YEA! Good progress! Im currently very depressed about my place. I just go round & round. I do finally have my garden fence finished, which is like a gift from God! I love it! Im hoping itll help me feel better about cleaning. Id like to be able to read yalls posts easier? Hopefully, ill find a button to put it into mobile phone format again? I lost 5th gear in my car, so not being able to do much should make it easier to stay here & keep working on my place. I miss this site. I love yall! ~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

Hi all, so busy in here. Nice going!

Tatoulia, you are a terrific daughter. I hope you get a chance to ge5 your own space the way you want it.

Ena, I think you will get used to your "new" home. I get very anxious when I make a big change in a space, but it gets better over time.

Tillie and KSD, i'm Glad you have good wether. It has thawed here and won't stop rain8ng so everything is muck.

Criticalmass, I am glad you came by to update. I really hope you get your van back soon.

Porter and Joan, you are inspiring me with your exercise. I had lost 9 pounds, but gained a few back last week when th8nfs were really bad. I am starting again, at least not from scratch.

Elise, hi! I am well into a slow multi year clean out the kids are almost moved out (last one might come back for a bit after she graduates in May) and dh and I have been renovating/expanding the house. The project was carefully planned for light and gathering space and minimizing storage (which frustrates me). The living areas are pretty good most of the time. I come here and report my ins and outs.

I am functioning ok again. Yesterday I set myself a bunch of unacheivable goals and then felt bad when I didn't achieve them. I did start cleaning out in the barn, and immunize and disbud almost half the baby goats. I revised my goals to finish a stall and the rest of the babies by the time I leave for work tomorrow. I am still weak and slow.

I did use up more of the cardboard stored in the studio yesterday as underlayment when I was putting down the used bedding. I think that by the time I finish the stall, I will have used all the cardboard leaning against the side wall. Then I will start on the cardboard I stacked on the floor.

The floor cardboard currently provides me with some cushioning and insulation from the concrete floor when I am working in the studio for a long time. But, my school has a bunch of puzzle mat pieces that the facilities manager pulled out of a storage closet and sent out a "last call" on. She says if no one claims them for a classroom, they are mine. So, better than cardboard and good timing.

I bought a "new" immersible blender for my classroom last week at goodwill.

Back to the food bank today. Ena, I do it for myself, it gives me a sense of being able to have some impact, even if it is very small, on something that is wrong in my world.

Hi Ena! I hope after the shock wears off you can feel comfortable in your home. I don't know why I waste so much time instead of doing more cleaning. Some tasks take such little time and yet I procrastinate.

Mattress shopping went well. I told mom I had a number I wanted to stay below but I want her to get what she wants, so if the right one went above the number, we'd just wait and pick up another time. When we got there I told the guy the number. After she found the bed she liked, I had her then go up a level to compare. Luckily she liked the one within my budget. It gets delivered on Friday. This is a very nice furniture store and they really put the effort into finding the correct bed rather than working on up selling or playing games. It's more expensive but a very pleasant, respectful process. So I am very happy. And she was thrilled.

I hAvent done a thing in my house all day. I slept after getting home. Tillie we had a lot of rain today. In the 30s and milder weather heading our way this week.

Kitty is sound asleep on the corner of the couch. I love watching her sleep. Just so sweet. She doesn't sleep with me but that's okay. She'll come in during the night if she has something to tell me.

Tillie

Congrats on getting ur painting finished! It sound like it went great! Man it sounds soooo cold where u r.

Subclinical

Good for you for helping at a food bank that's really great.

Joan

Plants r tough to keep alive, not something I'm talented at. Feel better!!

CriticalMass

Not having ur own transportation is difficult, where I live there is no good public transport. Fingers crossed for ur vans soon return.

Porter

Congrats on your workout progress!! That's super impressive. It's super hard to b motivated to get started but even harder to stick with it but it sounds like ur doing great.

Elsie

Hey! I've only recently started reading and commenting here, maybe two/three weeks. It's been super helpful to know I'm not alone in this struggle.

Tatoulia

I'm glad u had a good visit with ur brother.

KSD

It's hard letting go of sentimental things.


Sorry it's been a while. I was trying for a second part time job this past week... I didn't get it. Oh well I'll have to start looking again.

I thought they would have at least started fixing my floor from what the complex manager said. But it's not been touched yet. Maybe this week.

I've been on top of my cleaning and not adding new clutter so far. Fingers crossed I can make this a habit. It's kind of disturbing to walk into my apartment and not see all my stuff. I'm not sure I'll get used to it.

Good Afternoon Everybody :)

Hi Joan :)
Hope your cold is all gone now :D

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA! for mattress shopping and I think a very wise decision not to talk finances with your Mom. (((HUGS)))

Hi KSD :)
Great getting out for a walk since the weather permits.
To know or not to know...
It doesn't really matter who they ever belonged to, they belong to you now. ;)

Beautifully sunny day but still chilly.
The sunshine coming in through the windows and storm door have really warmed up the whole house.
70 degrees in here without any heaters on. :D
Just been doing a little of this and that today.
Just sort of a laid back lazy Sunday. ;D