Good Morning 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
My fingers are still all crossed that Friday you finally get an answer to finalize your plan and all works out wonderfully! 😀
Dangerous weather conditions in many places and I always hope that all the people manage to stay safe. (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hoping to hear you have taken a turn for the better
(((HUGS)))

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Hi Pain 🙂

Contemplating driving into town today to purchase a pruning saw.
I think the trees threatening the power line drop to the house are small enough that I can cut them down with that.
He has power tools that he won't let me use or use them himself to do this job.
It may take me a few days of working at it to finally get them down.
But at least it's a plan to get it done.
He told me before that 35.00 for a good pruning saw is out of the question and I am not allowed to make that purchase.
All the while he spends more than that amount every weekend adding to his massive pile of unneeded miscellaneous stuff from thrift shops.
Plus a good pruning saw would be very useful around here for many years to come.
I have a 10.00 dollar off coupon from the hardware store.
OK, I will go get the saw and let the chips fall where they may.
"evil grin".

TTFN 🙂

Update -

I did hear from the social worker - she must've checked her voicemail. We're going to meet at my storage on Friday!

It's been a weird day here in Ks. with those aforementioned dangerous winds having starting wildfires; my cousin's apartment complex is being evacuated. I'm praying everybody will be safe incl. the first responders.

Hi Everyone,

It's kind of a Monday, no? All of us a bit in the doldrums. But it's okay. This too shall pass. I'm sad for those who have had to endure violence or abuse especially growing up. From what I understand this is common in the background of those of us who struggle with hoarding. My own situation as a kid wasn't extreme but it was sometimes messy or too much drama. Even that can be stressful. I think my folks and I were just intense people.

As I've gotten older and dealt with my own baggage or quirks I feel empathy and forgiveness for them, though. It helped, for instance, being diagnosed with ADD, or going through menopause. I can now see how the people in my family were made irritable by their own health problems and temperament issues, and their past traumatic life events such as family members' deaths, natural disasters etc. When we've suffered too many losses and feel depleted, we can be prone to lashing out, because to be even-tempered requires energy.

Again, we do have hope - in each other and in each bit of wisdom we gain about how we got here, and how we're people of value and can keep plugging away to transcend those situations. We are survivors on our way to being thrivers!

I needed to ponder this, I guess, because I have been feeling a struggle with energy and motivation today. The cause of that is feeling pressured to come up with a plan on how I'm going to prioritize my gym workouts that my doctor has told me I need, and see if I can coordinate that with a big decluttering effort, since my mechanic has told me I need to get heavy stuff out of my van - and somehow make all THAT come out okay with my tight finances. Gasoline to get to the gym, buy healthy food, keep up with the day to day...

I did make the call to the social worker regarding the clutter and storage plan; she's not in today so I left a voicemail. It's really windy here today and supposed to get even windier later. Wind grates on my nerves. Oh, and I need to do paperwork about my student loan again - seems there's always some little issue to be clarified. I miss having a printer where I live - I got rid of a big bulky old one when I moved; it was out of toner anyway and not worth buying another cartridge for. Now I just don't have the bucks to buy a printer, and really no place to put it. So printing out a letter to someplace like the student loan place means a trip to the library.

And there are litterboxes and laundry and all that stuff to try and fit in and I just feel OVERWHELMED with it all. My brain and body both feel so sluggish.

Bottom line, I don't want to adult today. Can I be a cat instead? Curl up in a cozy spot and sleep? I think I'd be good at it.

Good Morning

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Thank you for the drive by.
Thinking about you and hoping things are getting better.
(((HUGS)))

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Hope today all the noise and commotion has ended there. 🙂

Hi Pain 🙂
Sorry that those mice are making such a big mess in the drawers.
Keeping the kitchen as your number one priority is wonderful.
Kitchens are where we keep our food and they are very easily the place that gets into the worst conditions the quickest.
Keep up that fantastic routine for maintenance you have established! 😀

Yesterday it snowed a lot and the winds were terrible.
Very cold last night and today, down in the 20s.
Tried all week and weekend to get him to help do some very necessary stuff around the home/yard.
Things that I am not physically strong enough to do.
He wouldn't 🙁
I am extremely depressed and worrying about how I might manage to do this all by myself.

Still here. Just driving by. Keep up the good work everyone.

Its weird how all the war sounds of gunfire & i think cannons, too, kinda echoed things with my family...the local cops would not help me years ago, any more than my family has..it is a miracle i survived it all...ive never done anything bad to anyone, either...that doesnt seem to matter, tho...
Tillie & Joan, im glad yall made that decision...im getting close to that same decision, too....

Hi Joan,anony,Tillie, and others.

Today I'm redoing dwarfism. Auto check is killing me. Drawers.redoing my drawers. Redoing all chest of drawers and all other drawers. Nasty mice. Make mess in them . So I'm keeping them lined with plastic bags from grocery. But I also remove everything. Make a small drawing of what I would ultimately like to have there instead of accumulated clutter. So it like a kit in drawer.
But I vacuum and and use pee bleach towelettes.

At this point it may be useless. As by the time we move. I'll need to do it then too. ...

And who knows what the next place will be like.

I have had kitchens in past where I couldn't function. I can relate. Recently to. I just decided the nasty stuff wasn't worth keeping anymore. I couldn't part with most of it. So most of it got put Into tubs and taken to storage.
I started with
1 counters clearing everything. And sterilizing.
2 emptied all drawfs. Only vacuumed and wiped out.
3 tossed out everything from fridge.
4 packed up everything from cupboards.
5 made a drawing of what I want it to look like when I'm done putting to back.
6 put it back cupboard at a time.
7 take what doesn't fit to storage or to donation center.

That seems simple but tool almost a month.
However when it was done I was very glad to oil soups and things In The crockpots again.
It is my #1 place to defend as reclaimed space.
I used to make where I sleep the priority. But I do that no matter what anyway. So it had priorities.

Bedding
Kitchen - common area
Bathroom- common area
Living room where I answer the door - common area
Dinning room - common area
Hallways common areas.
Other people's rooms.

I will be moving soon.
I watched de clutter videos last year where I got the message. Sometimes due to illness we have to move , sometimes due to illness other people move for us either we like it or not.

To get out ahead of such a situation I see coming.
I've put the amount of time in to make sure I purge what I want purged, and not what someone else decides to purge for me.

So
SO , I GOT A. Storage bin. At a good Introductory rate.
This opened up temporary space to to empty 1 whole room at a time.
As I reclaimed living space in the common areas. I started asking for help.
The kitchen was first, and the bathroom second.
This way helpers didn't have leave. To eat or pee.
I asked for four hours. But what got was an army.

I couldn't believe it , but less than three months the entire house was void of clutter and it was repainted and recarpeted. Only 6 times in my adult life has it been this level of clean living space.

Thing is I didn't intend or set out to go all the way. And the reality is I've only moved our hoard of clutter into a storage unit. It's highly organized, but it's still a hoard of clutter non the less. It's just that I don't live in it anymore or for the time being.

It was started by coming here, finding Tillie, and the others. I have a problem emotionally moody. If I express that moldiness to the others I live with , no one FEELS like doing anything.

So I came here to vent. The cost was I couldn't rant. I made a deal with myself , I would only vent here if we're doing something no more matter how small to improve my situation.

It became my winter project to go room by room .
Completly clearing the rooms 1 by 1 .

Now that's parts done. I'm trying to keep it that way till we move. So now routine is very effective.
Trash day is all important.
And laundry day is only laundry day.
I now also have a storage day. Early Saturday mornings. Or Sunday if Saturday doesn't happen.

OK I'm acting like a clean freak. Well not really.
Someone is Ill in my family. And we need help , not asking anyone here to be clear. But from our family friends, Co workers, church and local assessors. We are getting help and services .

I have cleaning person come once a month now.
This helps keep thingsin a routine. Routine seems to be key for me so I keep doing what seems to work.
If I were to move tomorrow. I could do it in 16 hours. Except the storage unit.- except the hoard.

I no longer fear moving , or purging the hoard .
I've sold $1088 and have donated $1,000 to charity.
The hoard has been halved, and the remainder is organized.

I'm so grateful , (((hugs)))

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Joan 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Back in the 1980s I finally severed all contact with my family.
They are not nice people who do mean nasty selfish evil things.
They have no morals or social conscience.
If they had not been family I would have never had anything to do with people like them.
They all have done unforgivable things to me.
It has been the best thing I have ever done for myself.
I used to hope they would all grow up and change but after so many years I gave up hope that they ever would.
I deserve to be treated better and now refuse to be abused by them any more.
Sorry that your weekend has been disrupted by the emergency preparedness commotion.
(((HUGS)))

Yesterday the wind was raging so no outside play.
This morning it is snowing!!!!
😀

Joan, my sister isnt ill. My Mom meant shed like me to get together with the rest of the family before she dies(my Mom), since shes is in her 80s.
Ive been a complete wreck over this. Theres no way she understands or even remembers the damage all that did to me, years ago...
Also, all day yesterday our local cops, fire dept., etc. had an event to practice for emergencies down near the end of my property. It has literally sounded like a war going on. That has also really shaken me up....its gonna start back up this morning again soon, too...

Hi, everyone. I have not been able to cook in years. Too sick, and stove all covered with stuff. I can only boil water.

Anony, if your sister is seriously ill, just do whatever you feel you need to do for yourself to get closure. Don't let your mother guilt you into anything. I hear you about humans. I am by myself because virtually my whole family did nasty stuff to me, so I finally jumped ship. They are all very disappointed and angry that I survived on my own.

My heart bleeds for them.

HI 🙂

Hi Pain 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!! for being in maintenance! 😀
Happy that the others are now starting to appreciate it with more visitors coming by.
The best "home" I have been in so far as heating and cooling goes has been in caves.
Constant 58 degrees all the time.
But they tend to be dark and spooky and a bit damp.
;P

Things that I have learned from Youtube have been fascinating and educational.
For several weeks I have been watching a couple of barn owls hatch and rear their eight chicklets.
My cats enjoy the bird feeder, squirrel and bunny videos.
I learned different ways to kill wasps and dangerous methods to remove tree stumps.
I watch live stream videos of dams over flowing and get weather reports for my area.
So many videos about decluttering and Tedtalks on everything.
I really enjoy the videos of people exploring abandoned homes and wonder whatever happened to the people who lived there.
My Blu-ray/DVD player plays Youtube on the big screen TV and I watch that instead of regular broadcast almost exclusively.

Good ole YouTube.

I figured out the world's energy crisis forever.
And how to heat my house with pee.
How to catch rodents and turn them into fish for eating after employing then as fertilizer machines. Amazing.
So after that I worked on my ultimate house. Using foam core. Basically if we figure out the energy crisis. It will be related to house size.

So I'm working on a home that heats itself. Rather than anything else. Structure and insulation + internal heat . What's missing is the ability to build it ourselves. But I believe that technology is also all over YouTube.
Basically build six foot long X 1 X 1 Lego boxes out of carbon fiber. Fill with insulation. And walla walls in a day.

Oh. So much better than feeling helpless in a hoard of despair. Didn't go to the unit today. Just keeping the kitchen and bathrooms clean. Tomorrow the rest of the common areas .
I now use three giant tubs that have wheels on Them.
I put all things that don't go in the common areas into the the tubs. For each person there is a tub. This way I don't have to ask them to pick up after themselves.
Once a tub gets full . I empty it myself.
At first they really hated not being able leave their junk all over the house.
But now so many people Come by. The house is always ready to receive guests. I'm hearing less and less objections.
Even mother in law has been less naggy. I'm in maintenance mode I'd guess i could say.

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Whenever "S" is in the hospital I can never reach him by phone.
Sometimes the phone is not near his bed or it's not ringing on his end or a million other reasons.
So I just talk to his nurse to see how he's been doing and wait for him to call me.
Very frustrating.
Have you been able to get some rest?
Have you been trying to eat something?
Wishing I was there to make sure. ((((HUGS))))

Woke up before 5am
after a while I was able to fall back to sleep.
Nothing much planned for today so I will get outside and play. 😀

Thank you CM & Tillie.

Now my oven heats low so I up it by 25 degrees.

I tried to call mom today. Nurse said she's up but I bet the phone's just out of reach.

Tatoulia
You poor baby 🙁
Wishing you a good night's sleep after all you've been going through.
((((((((HUGS))))))))

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
Sorry the cake over baked.
With my oven I set the temperature at 300/325 instead of 350/375.
I add a little more liquid to the batter and bake the cake/cookies longer than the recipe says to.
Otherwise all my cakes/cookies would be overdone and dry/burned on the edges and raw in the center.

Oh, Tatoulia, so sorry about your mom. I was apparently writing my post at the same time you were posting yours and just now saw yours. My heart goes out to both of you. I'll put you in my prayers tonight. Take care.

Well, the "good" cake was more overdone than I realized! It broke apart coming out of the pan. I felt a little sad, yet also had to laugh. This is the second year in a row I've messed up my cake for the Bingo. I feel like a failure as a Church Lady, LOL!

Tomorrow I need to go to the store so I'll see if I can find anything that's affordable but doesn't look totally tacky, and if I do I'll run it over to the church. If not, there's always next year. Third time a charm and all that. And I'll try to come to an understanding with my roommate's oven. It needs to be set lower but not too low, and I haven't found the right temperature and timing for cakes with it. Need to bake more of them to see if I can figure it out.

Quick drive by. Things went from bad to worse, I'm afraid, as mom fractured her hip and was rushed to hospital just about within 24 hours of getting home from the hand infection. Her surgery was today. On top of being sick and worried, I cried just about non-stop yesterday. I was inconsolable. Well she made it through the surgery and I'll see her tomorrow. Surgeon called around 8PM and another dr called me at midnight.

I can't remember if I mentioned that my dr just wants me to rest to get well. She actually said she doesn't care if I take any of my meds right now, she just wants me to rest.

This is a tough time.

Everyone/you know I am rooting for you. I can't wait to get back into the swing of cleaning and reducing.

Tillie thank you for being here. I feel better knowing I have you.

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
My fingers are crossed that you get that help you need to relocate the storage.
Great that any paid rent will transfer over.
Really, really, really hoping and wishing that you win that $$$ prize. (((hugs)))
Whatever, have a good fun time this weekend! 😀

I did stuff to improve the condition of the house today.
Weekend is predicted to have more snow fall so maybe I won't get out much.
Did spend a little time outside today just because it was nice out but now it's getting all cloudy, cold and dark early.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Thinking about you (((HUG)))

TTYL 🙂

P.S. I also meant to add, regarding the storage unit, that on Monday I'm going to call that social worker from my clutter club, since I haven't heard from her yet, and my busy week will be over by then. I hope she will have the time to still do this plan we hatched. I will keep everyone updated - cross your fingers and toes for me!

Hi all, TGIF!

Busy day here. Payday, bill paying, doctor's appointment and more. Just in time on the payday - I was down to under 20 bucks in checking and my savings has also gone down. All those vehicle repairs took a dinosaur-sized bite. Hope that by being frugal I can begin to refill the coffers.

Doctor's check-up (about 6 months out from surgery) went okay - but he really wants me to get to the gym and do core abdominal work to strengthen the repairs. Which I would've been doing 2 months ago had I not been steamrollered by all the tires and other repairs and financial glitches. Grrrrr. I'm going to have to prioritize the exercise (hey, that sounds catchy!).

So that will be something I'm just going to have to schedule and be disciplined about. Meanwhile, on the clutter front, I paid my bill for the current storage unit today, and talked to the manager. She's really nice. I said I'm thinking about going to one of the units of the same company closer over here, providing I can get help to do so. She said the money I've paid will transfer. So that may help facilitate things. All I need now are the MINIONS to help!

Didn't go inside my unit today because I needed to get back home and bake. My big plans for the weekend include delivering a cake to church tomorrow and going to the Bingo on Sunday. That's our big spring fundraiser, the feature being 20 hand quilted quilts, some of which I've helped on via the quilt guild. It's fun. There is a $500 raffle drawing - man, if I could win that . . .

So my cakes have been baking, but thank the Lord I decided to make two - one for me and my roommate. Because I'm still not accustomed to her oven. It bakes hot and fast. My cake intended for the church is the one that overbaked and has a huge hump and cracked place in the middle! (My Wilton cake class teacher would probably not claim me.) Fortunately, the "other" cake is okay, so now I just have to do a switcheroo on the pans, and frost those babies.

Speaking of which, they may be about cool enough for that. Everybody have a great weekend!

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hoping you are starting to improve (((HUGS)))

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
YEA!!! for internet! 😀
Hope all the glitches are smoothed out now.

Hi Pain 🙂
I also watched some of those same youtube videos.
HaHaHaHA ;D
Have never tried making any of the traps though, but it's good to know anyways.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Sorry the truck deal fell through 🙁
Sometimes when things don't work it later turns out that something better comes along later.
(((hug)))

Today I really need to get off my butt and do stuff around here.
That dental appointment and all the useless worrying I did about it wore me out and I have let things pile up around here.
Today I WILL get back to doing the general maintenance.
Wash dishes, sweep & vacuum, put things away and straighten up.
Then I can maybe enjoy the weekend. 😀

Anybody have any plans for this weekend? 😉

Fast drive by

Would've been longer, but

Internet is back up - yay, but

Before it was being glitchy and freezing my screen

I reset the modem, maybe that did help, who knows

Anyway, it's behaving now, but I'm all exhausted and grouchy.

Till next time.

Nothing better to do today.
I looked up on you tube.

Water bottle mouse trap.

And I fiddled and fiddled and fiddled till I made it work. .

Just peanut butter. Is all I. Need to buy now.
Well if I ever need the mouse corpses for fish bait I'll be good in knowing how to go from an empty water bottle., To I live mouse., To a live fish .

Well, i got really excited about buying that truck...all the freedom & independence itd give me...then the seller backed out....he decided to keep the truck...so i had to rent another car...now my car is ready & needs to go to another shop to have the door fixed...my rental car wont help me do any of that...im just grateful they could fix my car....i am still trying to figure out how to respond to my Mom wanting me to fix things with my sister so we can all be together again before she dies. I want to do that for her, but im not sure if i can handle it emotionally. Im suppose to apologize, even tho she & her husband embezzled all that money....ive just gotten more into going inside myself in a spiritual way...it seems far more comforting than dealing with other humans...

Well, i got really excited about buying that truck...all the freedom & independence itd give me...then the seller backed out....he decided to keep the truck...so i had to rent another car...now my car is ready & needs to go to another shop to have the door fixed...my rental car wont help me do any of that...im just grateful they could fix my car....i am still trying to figure out how to respond to my Mom wanting me to fix things with my sister so we can all be together again before she dies. I want to do that for her, but im not sure if i can handle it emotionally. Im suppose to apologize, even tho she & her husband embezzled all that money....ive just gotten more into going inside myself in a spiritual way...it seems far more comforting than dealing with other humans...

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Please feel better soon (((((HUGS))))) 🙁

Hi Pain 🙂
Sorry about the pain of the dentist's bill (((HUGS)))
My Dentist offers (Nevada Dental Health Services) insurance that only costs me 60.00 a year and has a great reduction of prices for dental work.
That is the only reason I can afford to ever go.
And I have a booklet that lists all the prices for everything so no sticker shock.

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Hope you had a wonderful and restful day off enjoying quiet past times 🙂

Since I am now 63 and still have all my original teeth, the dentist says that I will most likely have them all the rest of my life. 🙂
Only have some crowns on the molars I broke from grinding.
Beautiful sunny day today. Cold but not windy.
The Sierra Nevada mountains where I live has had so much snow fall this year that they can't measure how deep the snow is because their instruments don't go that deep.
More snow predicted to fall this weekend.
All reservoirs and lakes and wetlands are full again.
Keeping fingers crossed that this long dry drought is finally ending for us. 😀

TTFN 🙂

Checking in. Very sick. Dr says a virus and she wants me to rest. I trust mom's in good hands and will just sleep and drink liquids.

Keep up the good fight, everyone.

Greetings from McDonald's wi-fi! (Hoping our home modem arrives today and fixes the problem.)

Pain, sorry about the dental woes. My feeling is that dentistry is hard enough to endure without the humongous bills. One of my molars that I had pulled I remember the dentist saying it could be saved with a root canal but no way was I going to try to suffer through that and all the crown stuff. I've never had those and I don't plan to. If I end up with dentures, I end up with dentures. But hopefully I can keep most of my teeth. Wishing you all the luck in the world and a surprise financial windfall that will cover it!

Tillie, glad you had a clean bill of dental health.

Tatoulia, glad your mom is home and will have help, and kitty I'm sure is glad to see her. You feel better too yourself, okay?

I decided to wait to have breakfast till after my Ash Wednesday Mass so I could use the McDonald's wi-fi. It seems like it should be later than it is; I rarely get up in time to go to anything that starts at 8:00 a.m. these days! I'll go home in a bit, take the dog out, then chill awhile and have a nap and a late lunch in whatever order. I'll do a little Bible reading and other quiet stuff. Might work on some of the embroidered pieces to go in my quilt.

Glad I get a day tomorrow also where I don't have to be anywhere, because Friday and the weekend are going to be so busy. The weather has been more seasonal instead of warm. I hope that maybe next week we'll get some warm days because I do want to go out to the storage and work on some small projects, and call my social worker helper on Monday to see if we can set up that appointment to meet and hopefully make a plan. It would be SO awesome if this month would be the beginning of something great, aka, big forward progress with the storage situation. 🙂

Sticker shock.
Wish I were more savy in making these dentists tell me their costs . I would of just had it pulled.
$3000 to save a moller and insurance is only 1355.
Had get credit card account just get the root canal. But then the cost of the crown was just as much. I'm wiped out Completely. I hate that .

I should of just did something in december 16 and then January 2017.
At least it's started. But I won't have the money for the crown until 2018