Tillie, your description of the critters at the end of the summer is amazingly accurate! They have always seemed more aggressive & desperate this time of year to me, too! Your descriptions are very beautiful & perceptive! :D

Tillie, your description of the critters at the end of the summer is amazingly accurate! They have always seemed more aggressive & desperate this time of year to me, too! Your descriptions are very beautiful & perceptive! :D

I am completely bewildered. There are at least 2 of these little devil-rodents! They have no fear of me whatsoever! I tried to 'tell'the one how it needs to leave or its life will be in danger. I figure its fair to warn it. Then, i realized a second one was on the porch. It could even be an entire litter that just left the nest to move in here?!! Or, another thought, maybe they were someone down my street's 'humane' relocation project?!!?!! I can hear them under the house, too! I know its quieter now with the A/C & fans off, but this is very recent! This is not going to fly...nope!

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Only way I got my four baby skunks to move along
was by starving them out.
They stayed here for the easy meals of cat food
so I guarded the bowls during the day and completely removed all cat food from the porch before sundown every night.
The cats survived and adjusted to the new feeding schedule without any problems.
Also, they could not knock over the trash can to rummage through there.

Wind is starting to pick up speed already this morning.
Another good day to stay inside.
Thursday when I was in town I discovered that they are putting in a new big "Dollar Tree" dollar store.
We already had the small "Dollar Tree" store where I buy cleaning products and Kleenex and some canned foods and bubble gum.
The new store will have a lot more of the kinds of stuff that I don't need. LOL ;D
Hope they also carry more of the kinds of stuff that I do need and regularly buy.

Hope you all have a GREAT! weekend and stay safe if you are in a stormy area. :)

Good morning! Yikes a skunk in the house? Anony what needs to be done to get it out? I haven't read the posts so not sure if you have a hole or just what but you are not obligated to live with wildlife in your house. please don't get used to it/need some real solutions. Call your carnivore friends in the furlture...(only half joking).

Tillie! My brother hasn't called me yet this AM so instead of loafing I've done two loads of laundry and changed my sheets. I'm going to go do more and treat this as "found time" instead of time to lay around.

Will write more later.

Hello everybody :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)

Been busy around here!
Yesterday shopping then over at the neighbor's.
The wind was raging here all day today.
Stuff blowing around and stuff blowing over.
Lots of dust in the air.
Cloudy and overcast with intermittent sun shining through.
It was freakishly warm too.
This is how it always starts before the snow storm.

:)

.....grrrrr...my new resident with the residue scent trashed my kitchen during the night...i text my very-vegan friend about it & her insistence that i should somehow 'co-exist' with it sounded so ridiculous that i at least had a good laugh....there is no way....no way....ha ha

.....grrrrr...my new resident with the residue scent trashed my kitchen during the night...i text my very-vegan friend about it & her insistence that i should somehow 'co-exist' with it sounded so ridiculous that i at least had a good laugh....there is no way....no way....ha ha

This mini skunk has gotten very brazen about going all over the kitchen with me right there. Its such a dilemma with the wildlife.....im gonna buy a new vacuum...i need to & it might make cleaning easier & more....um....desirable....ha ha

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
No matter how good you are feeling
take it slow and easy. (((HUGS)))
Actually, the method of picking up one item
making the keep/toss/trash/donate/recycle decision on just that one item
is the best way to work through decluttering an area.
;)

Today I need to do some cleaning around here, not too much but I will feel better once it's done.
Also making up my grocery list so tomorrow I can go to the store.
Having my list helps me to get what I need and not come home with a bunch of impulse foods that I really don't need, just looked good at the time. ;)

TTYL

Hi everyone. I got home yesterday afternoon. Thanks for the well wishes once again. Couldn't seem to sleep without having nightmares - gave it two chances, that's enough. I'll sleep better with a daytime nap, that's my brain's peculiar quirk. I've had surprisingly little pain, which is great. I don't want to have to take the strong pills because of side effects like nightmares.

Things will get back to some better rhythm soon I think. I did pretty well with unpacking and organizing supplies left over. I have one of those reachers for picking up items without having to stoop, etc. They are good for decluttering - it makes a game out of it, picking up one thing, deciding what to do with it, then another. Separated from the herd, each item is easier to deal with. I may be onto something here. Whatever works!

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
Hope you are resting well (((HUGS)))
Please check in here once in a while whenever you get the chance. :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
Hope you are getting all the rest and sleep you need (((HUGS)))

Hello Anonymoniker :)
The skunk will eventually find and eat the cricket.
There is a VERY good reason why I do NOT have a cat door.
Next you will be having a family of coatimundi taking over your house.
Seriously, my sister once had one living under her mobile home/trailer.
I much prefer to get up and let the cats out and let the cats in and let the cats out and let the cats in and let the cats out and let the cats in and let the cats out and let the cats in...
all day long.

I have no solid plan for today but I do have a lot of little projects I want to tackle.
So I will just meander around here doing some of this and that.
Sort of a relaxed and fun day. :)

....oh, no...everytime the cricket is quiet, i can hear that the skunk is in the living room again & making all kinds of noise.....#&*@!

Hey, CriticalMass? Im glad you are done with surgery?! Happy healing!
....every night i go into the kitchen late, theres some kind of critter encounter...tonight a miniature skunk got in & was behind the fridge...i made up some peppermint spay & gingerly doused the area around the fridge, and kitchen floor. I hoped he go out the cat door,but he went behind the sofa...these things can make you quickly regret chasing them by spraying, so i sprayed the livingroom with peppermint. It finally left. Now that it knows how to get in, it could be quite an ordeal. I dont like to live trap & relocate them cuz supposedly they often starve in an unfamiliar area....i hope he just stays outside...(yeah, right)...theres been a super loud cricket in the bedroom, too...its such a dilemma to defend my territory....

Hey, CriticalMass? Im glad you are done with surgery?! Happy healing!
....every night i go into the kitchen late, theres some kind of critter encounter...tonight a miniature skunk got in & was behind the fridge...i made up some peppermint spay & gingerly doused the area around the fridge, and kitchen floor. I hoped he go out the cat door,but he went behind the sofa...these things can make you quickly regret chasing them by spraying, so i sprayed the livingroom with peppermint. It finally left. Now that it knows how to get in, it could be quite an ordeal. I dont like to live trap & relocate them cuz supposedly they often starve in an unfamiliar area....i hope he just stays outside...(yeah, right)...theres been a super loud cricket in the bedroom, too...its such a dilemma to defend my territory....

Hi CriticalMass :D

You and your health are the number one priority right now.
No lifting, just rest and recuperate.
(((HUGS)))
That low level hurricane will still be waiting there when you are all better ;)

Hi Tatoulia :)
So easy to sleep on those rainy days. :D

Get well soon, dear CM. Thinking of you.

I have been taking a bit of a break last few days. Sunday it rained all day (we need the rain) and I relaxed and slept all day. Today is a holiday so no work. What a great feeling.

Will write more later.

Posting from my hospital room wifi so hope it goes through. I've had quite a week or so. Finally feeling more human. So good to reconnect with you all. I got rid of a few items from storage in the days leading up to surgery. With lifting restrictions that may be it for the season I'd had such high hopes for. But it will be okay. The problem needed to be fixed, that's that.

I hope nobody was in the hurricane path. So heartbreaking. Thankful I live on the Plains.

Hoarding is like a constant low level hurricane in a sense. It is caused at least in part from things happening faster than we can get on top of them. Then it all becomes a flood. The good news: We can start to push back. This hurricane is malleable. :)

Take care. Love the kitties, watch the bat ballets (Tillie, you're a poet!), battle the spiders - and SCORPIONS?! :O Onward to victory!

Good Morning :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Keep spraying the peppermint around.
Everyday spray a little around your bed to hopefully keep them away from it.
Plus it smells nice ;)

Yesterday I spent seven hours outside.
The cats were with me some of the time but had to go back inside to take their naps.
I watered everything and washed the litter boxes and kitchen trash can.
That's it. Didn't do anything else but wander around out there.
Chrysanthemums are blooming. :D
Ash trees turned all pretty yellow.
Cotton wood trees are dropping leaves like crazy.
Lilac bushes are slowly losing their leaves.
Wasps are getting all frantic knowing that soon they will all die from the cold.
Mean nasty biting big red ants are also scrambling trying to insure their survival over the winter.
Lizards and snakes are now missing from my garden, I miss them the most when they hibernate.
High winds last week broke a large branch off a tree in the south east corner of the yard.
Need to put up new clothes line, old one is starting to fray.

Thank you, Tillie! Yes, my tummy is better! Last night i had a kitty scare. I hadnt seen one of my cats all day & kept getting up all night looking for her. This morning she showed up for breakfast & i was sooo relieved! I then went back to sleep till this afternoon...ha ha
Ive also noticed the spiders are hanging out where id sprayed the peppermint oil, dangit...they only seemed to take a break for a couple of days...maybe ill try spraying it once a week till it gets colder?
Tillie, i hope you enjoy your time with your kitties watering & being out in the fall weather!!! :D =^-^= ~☆~

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Hope your belly ache is all better (((hugs)))

Yesterday was a good day :)
Today the cats and I are going out to water trees and bushes and wash their litter boxes.
The afternoons get pleasantly warm but the rest of the days are cool to darn right cold over night.
Typical Autumn weather :D


TTYL ;)

Tillie, i hope you have an awesome day relaxing! I also go through a similar thought process of appreciation for being in such beautiful nature, with my kitties & having the Freedom that i have...even though i want my place to be nicer...
I woke up with an upset tummy. Everything i do makes it worse. I was starting to think the spiders were gone, till last night...another 2...i got them both...its usually right before trying to go to sleep, which then freaks me out a bit. I was just planning to continue that kitchen corner project, too...
~☆♡☆~I hope everyone has a beautiful, blissful day!!!~☆♡☆~

Tillie, i hope you have an awesome day relaxing! I also go through a similar thought process of appreciation for being in such beautiful nature, with my kitties & having the Freedom that i have...even though i want my place to be nicer...
I woke up with an upset tummy. Everything i do makes it worse. I was starting to think the spiders were gone, till last night...another 2...i got them both...its usually right before trying to go to sleep, which then freaks me out a bit. I was just planning to continue that kitchen corner project, too...
~☆♡☆~I hope everyone has a beautiful, blissful day!!!~☆♡☆~

.....Tillie, its so strange cuz i look at the odd differences in our situations...i see your hoarder as having help to make the place really nice, and myself wanting that so bad...i know the only reason my Dad & his Mom(who i take after both) had nice places is cuz they each had a partner that kept it nice...otherwise, theyd have lived like i am living...i also wonder what you need to have things better? If it is just his willingness to let you fix it up and toss stuff? If theres a way you could fix up a corner of the property with a little cottage, if you could afford it, or what you would do, if you could? What would be your ideal situation, if you could have anything you want? :D ~♡~

.....oh, and i can pay myself $1000. a day for working on my place?!! ha ha ha :D And it is weird, cuz when i get objective & look at it like if i were hired to help with my place, somehow it makes it much easier...decisions come easier & clearer...the whole thing seems less overwhelming?! ~☆♡☆~

Tillie, thank you!!! :D The only 'company' anywhere near me is that ex army drill sergent or whatever she was, that kept asking me how legal my place was & how i should take drugs or im in denial, etc., etc. Or i could try a regular housekeeping service, but i was thinking how what gave me so much power & happiness when i quit drugs, was cuz i did it on my own. I did not expect anyone to save me, like AA...so, i need to quit wanting someone to save me from my mess & just get stong & independent with this as well!!! ~☆~Making my place lovely, is my new drug recovery~☆~

Wow. Tillie, i wish you could have your place be nice, the way youd like it. That other thread about scam helpers really scares me cuz i know there are local people like that here. It is one of the main reasons i havent hired help.
Joan, its good to hear from you! How are you feeling these days? I dont like to use anything toxic around my place. I have cats, plus wildlife and id just prefer using natural things. The peppermint oil seems to have helped, tho taping up those holes likely helped too? No spiders since!!! Theres also food grade diatomatious earth, which im thinking of using?
I slept later than id wanted today...my duties for the next 3 days got cancelled, so instead of getting up & getting goals here done, like i was so excited about doing before going to sleep, i just slept half the day cuz i didnt 'have to'get up....geeez....

Wow. Tillie, i wish you could have your place be nice, the way youd like it. That other thread about scam helpers really scares me cuz i know there are local people like that here. It is one of the main reasons i havent hired help.
Joan, its good to hear from you! How are you feeling these days? I dont like to use anything toxic around my place. I have cats, plus wildlife and id just prefer using natural things. The peppermint oil seems to have helped, tho taping up those holes likely helped too? No spiders since!!! Theres also food grade diatomatious earth, which im thinking of using?
I slept later than id wanted today...my duties for the next 3 days got cancelled, so instead of getting up & getting goals here done, like i was so excited about doing before going to sleep, i just slept half the day cuz i didnt 'have to'get up....geeez....

HI Dave :D

Thank you (((hugs)))
So nice to hear from you! :)

Things are still extremely difficult around here
but, I just have to do the best I can and patiently wait until things turn desperate enough to act on anything.
Meanwhile, I just keep doing what I can do.
With the areas I have declared "NO CLUTTER ZONES" there is more than enough to keep my mind occupied with "busy work".
As long as I don't have to interact with him I can do this.
Having to deal with him during the water heater fiasco made me a nervous wreck and subsequently physically ill.
But I wanted hot water so I pressed the issue until I got what I wanted even though he became quite angry/violent with my insistent unreasonable demand. LOL ;D
I try to get out of the house and socialize at least once a week and find that really helps lift my spirits.
I have sewing, beading, movies and reading, things I truly enjoy to fill my time.
The cats, all seven of them, are wonderful companions.
Living beside a wildlife sanctuary, I have so much wonderful wildlife visiting me on a regular basis.
I love to go out at sundown and watch the bat ballet in the twilight.
I keep watch on the night sky and enjoy the planets, comets and constellations.
There is so much here to appreciate and be grateful for and I do appreciate and enjoy all the good in my life. (((hugs)))

tillie,
If you exchange email with Cory on the side, Please mention that declutter your home thread and my post in it to him. Just wasn't sure how much his schedule is allowing him to look in lately.
thanks.
Dave

Tillie,

I'm not on here much recently. I just finished something, looked at the computer screen, saw the hoarding cleanup link and thought specifically of you. Sometime ago when I looked in for a minute, I saw a post about a bunch of stuff weighing you down in the head. Another time I saw a post where you were talking about not knowing how to help people-same here. There is a bunch of stuff that comes around here that is somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible to solve unless the poster and the situation are separated. I hope you have been finding some days to have things in your situation that are pleasant and rewarding for you. Think about you from time to time. Regards. Dave.

Hi Everybody :)

Was up and running all day!
Didn't get much sleep last night because Scooter (the evil cat) was running around playing all last night.
Hope to get to bed soon but it's not even 6:30pm yet.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Good luck moving the ACs out and gaining a little more free space over the winter. :)
WTG! for doing the dishes!

Good Night :)

Anony, I had someone once tell me that there was "new" stuff you could sprinkle around the outside of your house, and it would prevent spiders from coming in. This was maybe 10 years ago. I don't know if you would want to try it, or how toxic it may be, but I don't think it was too expensive.

You might ask around at a Loew's or a Home Depot. It's been on my list to look into since I heard about it, but I haven't investigated the product(s) yet.

Hello everyone

Not much to report here-got out for a walk today and didn't do much else. I kept up with the dishes but basically just fell asleep after the workday. I don't like doing that but will break the habit next week. Today, I just wanted to rest.

Tillie you are good to keep moving toward winter. I need to get my ACs out of the house--they are the portable ones (not the window units) and they take up a lot of room. I need to convince BF to get them out this weekend.

Hope all is well,

T

Tatoulia, that feeling of putting something away in its newly cleared space is awesome!!! Good for you! That is fantastic!!! :D
Tillie, it is so inspiring how you have everything planned ahead of what needs done! Youre right about the winter being the best time for dealing with spider areas...i hadnt thought about that when i started...
I had that same reoccurring dream about my ex last night...im trying to get away, and my phone isnt useable, or isnt mine...it must mean something that until i understand that, ill keep having the dream...
~☆~Happy day to all!!!~☆~

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
WAY TO GO!!! for putting away the new shoes! :D
I sure understand the space verses the stuff conundrum.
This house is very tiny & old without any real storage/closets.
To keep all the things that I need, I have to be extremely picky about keeping the things that I want.

Hi Anonymoniker :)
You're Welcome (((hugs)))
Keep up the good job of moving out clutter and disturbing long undisturbed areas to chase out those spiders.
Eventually they will get the notice that they are evicted.
There are millions of spiders here in the carport, garage and yard clutter because all the stuff has sat undisturbed for many, many years.
The safest time to move that stuff is Winter when the spiders are cold and mostly all dead and the snakes are hibernating. :)

To Winterize this place I still need to wrap the outside faucets & drain & store the hoses.
But I still need to periodically water a few more weeks.
Then I must cover the old single pane windows with plastic to keep the outside weather from coming inside.
Will do that at the end of the month because I hate having that plastic covering/sealing all the windows till Spring.
The evaporative cooler still needs to be drained and covered but I need his help because my hands are too weak to get the sides off to drain it.
Maybe this weekend?

Good morning!

I bought new shoes on my way home from work last night and have put them on the closet. That's a bigger victory than you may think!

So far today I've dusted the dining room table and put out an autumnal pitcher and vase. Looks nice. Now to put away the summer display. That is a bigger task.

I keep telling myself, if I don't have room to put stuff, then I have too much stuff.

Great work on the spider situation!

I'll report back later. Beautiful sunny day and I have the windows open. Y2

Tillie, thank you so much for your grounded suggestion! It REALLY helped me!!! :D

Tillie, thank you so much for your grounded suggestion! It REALLY helped me!!! :D

Tatoulia, thank you! It is hard on me and i feel like such a dang wimp cuz of it?! I got a 2nd spider and still completed my goals of today, which was to get a the holes & cracks taped closed & the curtain fixed, then i sprayed the peppermint oil solution EVERYWHERE! I FEEL SO HAPPY THAT I DID THAT, AND STOPPED BEING IMMOBILIZED BY THOSE &@#&#@* SPIDERS!!! :D And yes, tbe internet is an enormous time sucker-upper....but its sooo fun!!! :D

*not hot out
*honestly


Someday I'll read what I write before I post. Today is not that day.

Hello friends!

Just getting home from work. Although it's not hotbour, I definitely overheated during the walk home (somewhere between a mile and two miles).


Tillie I'm glad you are ready for winter. Anonybhinestky the spider stories scare me--don't stop posting--you need to post these--very important to be yourself--but honestly my skin crawls. So proud of you for tackling this and making your home more livable.

Thank you both for your support. I have to tell you anony, a lot of the tasks on my Sunday/Monday list were accomplished in ten minutes. Amazing what I can do when I stop playing with the Internet.

Well it's after 8 and I need to make dinner. See you all tomorrow!

I was rolling along, taped up tbe cracks next to tbe door & was trying to re-pin the curtain when a big spider crawled out...i got him!!! HA!!! ....now i just need to cry & eat chocolate for a bit till i can go back...ha ha ;D

Tillie, i just read the rest of your post. You definitely have the right approach! Have you ever considered helping people with this stuff as a profession? Youd be sooo good at it & it seems to pay well, too?!! Id hire you at whatever you wanted to charge me! You are very wise and very grounded and very compassionate!!! Im glad you got your projects completed! CHEERS!!! :D

Tillie, i just read the rest of your post. You definitely have the right approach! Have you ever considered helping people with this stuff as a profession? Youd be sooo good at it & it seems to pay well, too?!! Id hire you at whatever you wanted to charge me! You are very wise and very grounded and very compassionate!!! Im glad you got your projects completed! CHEERS!!! :D

Tillie, i couldnt understand how spiders not being attracted to light, could be possible, so i looked it up, and what i found was, they arent attracted to light, but they eat bugs that are attracted to light. I cant even imagine if there are actually even more spiders hiding away where i cant see them?!! Im going to also spray some peppermint oil & water all around! Keeping up with the spider webs this time of year is almost impossible. As soon as i clear them, they put them right back up, often within an hour or 2! Ive never lived anywhere that was anything close to this hard to keep clean! Im sure that is a lot of how it got this way. If i can ever get things cleared and clean and sealed up, id imagine it wouldnt be so impossible to keep it nice...(sigh)...im so envious when i read stories on here about family members offering to help clean for loved ones. I wish i could hire someone, but there is no reason i shouldnt be able to do it myself...i just go round & round...
I had more dreams last night about my ex cuz it wouldve been our anniversary yesterday.... :(
Im planning to post later about all my achievements today in the kitchen! :D

Tillie, i couldnt understand how spiders not being attracted to light, could be possible, so i looked it up, and what i found was, they arent attracted to light, but they eat bugs that are attracted to light. I cant even imagine if there are actually even more spiders hiding away where i cant see them?!! Im going to also spray some peppermint oil & water all around! Keeping up with the spider webs this time of year is almost impossible. As soon as i clear them, they put them right back up, often within an hour or 2! Ive never lived anywhere that was anything close to this hard to keep clean! Im sure that is a lot of how it got this way. If i can ever get things cleared and clean and sealed up, id imagine it wouldnt be so impossible to keep it nice...(sigh)...im so envious when i read stories on here about family members offering to help clean for loved ones. I wish i could hire someone, but there is no reason i shouldnt be able to do it myself...i just go round & round...
I had more dreams last night about my ex cuz it wouldve been our anniversary yesterday.... :(
Im planning to post later about all my achievements today in the kitchen! :D