Hi Tillie, sounds like your husband is certifiable!!! Let me have a word with him(teehee) I was out in the yard all day today, actually made some progress, my back feels it too, I can relate to you, except I am the messy.

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Hi 🙂

Spent all of yesterday outside.

Planted the rose bushes, watered everything.

Was depressed about this one area near the front gate.
Piled high with years of his clutter and all the leaves & tumbleweeds all mixed into it.
Snakes, deer mice, black widows, scorpions and thousands of Yellow Jacket Wasps all nesting in there.

For at least 10 years I have been begging him to clean it up.

He sort of started clearing it out weeks ago then stopped & went back to his old habits.

I was tangled up in it all again and got very very angry.

That stuff was heavy but I was so mad that I managed to pull it all over next to the driveway.
Grabbed the rake and raked the leaves, sticks & tumbleweeds over there too with it.

This is the first area people see when driving up to the house. He also has nonrunning trucks parked there.
It is still so very cluttered all the way out to the road but the few feet in front of the garden gate are now clear.

Today my back is killing me.
But now I can at least walk over to my mountain laurels with the hose and not constantly get tangled or cut or my clothes torn.

Yes, he was mad when he came home from work & saw I had moved it twenty feet over, out of my way.

HAHA Diane 😀
No candy but I did eat 2 oreos.

That isn't silly at all.
I always bury mine with their favorite things too.

Tillie, I can see you out there planting your new roses and eating your M&M's (tee hee)
Back to the bedroom to clear more floor.

Dianne, so sorry to hear about the death of your little furry love. I will be thinking of you today. I buried my 1st dog with his favorite toy and blanket, sounds silly but comforted me.

Thanks Dianne. 🙂

I'm so sorry to hear about your fur baby. 🙁

(((HUGS)))

It is wonderful that we have this safe haven where we can share our struggles with others who understand and don't judge us.

Just knowing that we are not alone can give us so much hope and encouragement.

Here in this chat thread we can write about anything that comes to mind and all the events in our daily lives.

We are all so much more than the condition of our homes and this needs to be expressed.

🙂

My To-Do list for today...
Go outside and dig two holes for those rose bushes.
Drag over some compost.
Prepare the rose bushes for planting.
Plant then water them.

Since I will be out there anyways with the hose I may as well water all the other plants, shrubs, bushes and trees.
Then I will probably put the sprinkler on the lawn.

Also need to do the daily stuff...
Feed cats
Give them fresh water
Scoop little boxes
Sweep the floor
Tidy up bathroom & kitchen

Everybody be kind to yourselves today 🙂

(((Dianne))) (((HUGS)))

Our Fur Babies bring us so much joy and unconditional love.

My thoughts are with you at this very difficult time. (((hugs)))

My plans for today....

Happy Spring!!!

Welcome Home MayMay!!

I bet those big boys were happy to see you! There is nothing like the love of German Shepherds knocking you over with the Happy Dance! hahaha

And Tillie I loved reading the story about your spring cleaning with your grandmother. What lovely memories and how nice that you can relive those memories and have the same sense of contentment and good feelings now in a fresh, clean home. 🙂

Tillie I like your husband's shopping list!! haha I would have added a variety of chips though!

I will definitely go to the site you suggested. I love to read inspirational stories.

Read around at this site, especially the personal stories of real people digging out.
Click on the names listed on the left.

Very inspirational. 🙂

http://www.squalorsurvivors.com/stories/index.shtml

that is hilarious!!! guess your man needs a shopping list for you----

Thanks diane. 🙂

On his way home from work he stopped and did the grocery shopping.

yea????

Here is a list of what he bought for me and the cats to eat this week....

oreos
peanut m&ms
snickers candy bar
payday candy bar
rocky road candy bar
1 1/2 pound can of cashews
a bag of tangerines
6 pack of v8 juice
3 cartons of soy milk (told him years ago I am allergic to soy)
a box of wild flower seeds
2 rose bushes

He bought himself some steaks, cheese, crackers, danish, mushrooms and frozen prepared meals.

This is why I try to keep him out of stores.

ROTFLMAO 😀

nice to hear you made it home safe and sound MayMay

thanks for sharing your story, very interesting hearing about your situation. You are so lucky you are able to keep areas clean and peaceful for yourself. Nice you are able to ask for what you need.

I just got home from Houston about an hour ago. I am so glad to be home. 🙂

Cory and Matt practically attacked me when I went to pick them up from my boyfriend's house. They were really excited to see me. 🙂

Hi Dianne and diane. 🙂

Thanks! You two are so sweet. I'm glad I can put a smile on both of your faces. 🙂

Tillie,

I'm glad you decided not to end your life. 🙂

Diane
There was a time when I could not clean any more because I live with a hoarder who filled up the whole house with stuff and would get very mean and nasty if he thought I even touched any of it.

Then I thought about the situartion and said
"I live here too!"

I started small, one tiny area at a time boxing & bagging up all his stuff and putting it out in the garage or carport with the rest of his hoard.

Reclaimed the livingroom, kitchen, diningroom, bathroom and all the cupboards & other areas.

There is also a tiny room here that he had so full that it could not be entered & the door could not be fully opened or closed.
I made him empty it and I made it MY room. A place for me & my things.
Before this I was having to dress in the diningroom because that is where my dresser was due to his cluttering up all other areas.
I fixed it up so pretty with paint & new carpet & curtains and decorated with my things.

He has his bedroom, garage, carport & yard where he can hoard to his heart's content but not the whole house.

There is a small part of the yard that I claimed and keep clutter free.
This is my garden. Full of flowers, shrubs, trees and a small patch of lawn.

I made these "NO CLUTTER ZONES" and defend them daily to preserve my sanity.

I was so very depressed by the situation that I almost ended my life.
But I stopped because I saw another way out of the mess. 😀

so nice your house is clean so you can do spring cleaning, I am still too buried to do much cleaning, so good to hear you are able to keep things organized Tillie.
Maymay, got a smile on my face reading you hugging those wonderful men!!

Hi 😀

At 6:30am this morning I decided to roll over and see if I could fall back to sleep.
Just woke up at 9:15! 🙂

I needed that.

My plans for today...
The usual tidy ups.

Taking a mental inventory of stuff, getting ready to tackle Spring cleaning.
I do this cleaning one small area at a time.
No reason to knock myself out doing it all in a day like I used to when I was young.

When I was 20 I went to my Grandmother's house and did her Spring cleaning for her.
Spent the week there.
I washed her walls, pulled out the fridge, moved all the furniture, got into every cupboard and corner.
This is how I learned to do Spring cleaning, with my Granma directing me.
We did the whole place up.
This is one of my most treasured memories.
We had such a wonderful time together. 😀

Dianne
Sounds like a fun day you have planned. 😀

MayMay you sound so sweet and fun and upbeat. Reading your posts always puts a smile on my face! 🙂

keep smiling people 🙂

Hi diane,

Yes I did! 🙂

I hugged 5 firefighters! 🙂

It's so funny because I actually know a bunch of firefighters and paramedics back at home in Ohio because my boss is a retired firefighter and my boyfriend is a paramedic; but whenever I meet firefighters and paramedics that I don't know I still always get really excited around them and I can't stop smiling. 🙂

I didn't get to meet any paramedics when I met the firefighters though; because the paramedics already left the scene of the accident. 🙁

There was a single car accident that was right next to the hotel that I am staying at. The driver was fine though. One of the firefighters that I talked to said that it was caused by a seizure that the driver had.

did you get to hug the firemen?

I just met some firefighters!!!!! 🙂

I love Houston!!!!! 🙂

You were right Tillie! Exciting stuff does happen all the time here in Houston! 🙂

I'm going to really miss this city when I have to leave to go home tomorrow. 🙁

Dianne that is wonderful news about Jakey! 😀

It would be very nice to live with someone who appreciates Spring cleaning, home cooking and fresh line dried laundry. 🙂

You have so much on your To-Do list make sure you pace yourself to prevent burnout.

Wow Tillie your home sounds like such an idyllic places to live! Fresh smelling laundry, playful kitties, yummy food, blooming trees and flowers, spring cleaning in the house. My idea of heaven!! You tell your husband he can trade places with me, I would LOVE to live with you!! 🙂

have a great day all

My plan for today is to do a load of laundry and get that hung out in the fresh Spring air.

Do some general tidying ups.

Play with the cats.

Think about what I have in the pantry and make something yummy to eat for supper.

My Apricot tree is in full bloom. So beautiful!

I plan to spent some time outside talking to and encouraging all the trees, bushes and plants. 😉

I also plan to make a master To-Do list for my Spring cleaning projects.

What I like best about lists is I can look at them and see my progress by how many items are checked off.

TTYL 😀