I'll try to keep this short because the power keeps going out, but it's raaaaaaaaining! Hallelujah!

CM, I find the opposite. In the absence of pressure or a deadline I move at a snail's pace and tell myself all the reasons I deserve to rest.

I was going to get so much done this week..

But I have started the porch, and the bench is clear. Things have bern put in the recycling, and a few in the trash can.

SubC,

ROTFL 😂🤣😂 I also procrastinate when I don't have a deadline. I just do it in a different way.

Quick check in. I had a few days off and did nothing. It felt so good. Yesterday I had lunch with two friends I hadn't seen in 13 years. It was terrific. This concludes the summary of all I've done since Friday.

Back to works for me tmr. House cleaners came today. My house looks so nice.

Keep up the good work, everyone. I took towels and a throw blanket to the animal shelter today. I bleached my towels last night but they still have some stains. (Makeup). I have four bath towels in total donated two. I figure the two bath towels on the bottom of my pile won't have any stains because I don't rotate my towels. I use the same two over and over again. So I'll buy two more bath towels before my friend from England gets here at the end of the month, so she can have the fresh towels.

Hi Becky,

I haven't dated since 1989. And I don't do social media, so I doubt I will be much help.

My younger daughter has had no luck finding actual men, but as she is 25, I assume you are looking in an older and hopefully more mature dating pool.

I hope your day kept going well.

I couldn't find my "Wanna" so I have done almost nothing today. "Almost nothing" being minimal chores, dig half a row of potatoes, make two gallons of milk into cheese and clean up after myself, talk to bean on FaceTime, put away three baskets of laundry, run the dishwasher (mostly cheese things) and watch a lot of old movies.

Maybe I will put away more laundry.

Maybe I will work on the porch.

Maybe I will just do chores and go to bed.

Good morning all!

I went with that last one.
Late start again this morning. I'm sitting here listening to thunder and hoping for rain - real rain, not the light spray that dampened the concrete yesterday.

I have plenty to do inside and I feel wilted like the garden.

No movies today!

What are your plans?

Making some progress on the "nest."

It's entirely possible that my roommate and her siblings won't end up coming back here after the memorial service tomorrow. There's supposed to be a dinner afterwards and maybe they will be ready to head home then. I was jokingly suggesting nice places they could go for coffee if they did want to visit more.

It's sad, because I would kind of enjoy meeting the ones I haven't. They're nice people. Isn't it frustrating how this stupid clutter problem ruins things. 😒

Also, what is it about resistance?! Why do deadlines make me so much more reluctant, even to do things that I myself want to do? Just giving me a deadline immediately triggers the resentful and sluggish response, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth, and dragging of heels. Do y'all struggle with this? What helps? Going slowly and trying not to even notice "Hey, I'm decluttering!" is one thing that I do. Sort of try and slip it in under my brain's radar, lol. But when I really need to be moving faster, well...

Hi guys, I back. Omg my puppy is insane. I swear she intentionally walks on my screens and remote controls. It's so annoying.

But kinda funny.

Ok, so I pushed myself to take my son to the parade. I planned ahead a little and worked out a few options for parking which would not be too far to walk and would make an easy exit. That worked great. Also, no bladder issues thank goodness. We brought a few chairs, found a shady spot about 20 feet back. we enjoyed the rare float and ignored all politicians. Found a friend and took some pictures. So it was a success. Two hours in and out. No one (me) peed their pants. No sunburn. And we weren't even shot at! Sick joke. My bro heard about the shooting and texted me to be careful but I didn't see it til we left. I've pretty much been watching coverage ever since. Highland park is on the north side and we are on the west so it's about an hour away. I have friends who grew up there buT no one I know who was there today. Very sad day.

Then we were home chilling (I got in a little nap) and then I ran to the store to pick up stuff for the bbq at my brothers. He hosted again. My dad was very quiet from our argument we got into last time we were all together and I basically kicked him out of my house. B
So it was hella awkward as people younger than me like to say. But it was ok. My bro heated up some baked beans and bought some chips and hosted and cleaned** and I did the rest. It wasn't a big deal though. He vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom. He acted helpless not knowing how to use the smoker which was really annoying. He's not a 16 yo, he's a 59 yo man with a degree from a fancy university. Come on give me a break. Google it! "How to ruin 6 filet mignon using a smoker". Lol. But anyway, we made it right up to the "come and get it" and my son yelled out "oh no! And some alarmed sounding jibberish... One of the dogs had pooped in the dining room. Lol. Omg. And trust me, it smelled horrible before that happened. I don't know what is making his house smell so bad but it is like getting punched in the face when you first walk in. I did tell him about it last time so if he doesn't do anything about it that's on him. Yikes. It's bad. But overall, I'm proud of him that he's keeping up with a little maintenance (vacuuming) and is still offering to host. I think I'm setting the bar too low for him. But we made it work again and no fights broke out.

When we got home I finished cleaning up the kitchen and actually cleaned out the bottom shelf. Threw some stuff away and actually dumped out some bad food, ran the disposal, rinsed out the gross dishes and cleaned out the sink. Now that is some advanced cleaning (for me). Then I was able to fit all the leftovers in the fridge without cramming things in there all akimbo. Then I fed the doggies and give the nervous Nellie her "thunder chew" and headed upstairs. My son was singing LOUDLY which is like yelling off key. Some times it's funny and adorable but tonight it was just going straight to my brain.

Well, that is quite plenty about my day.

Sub c, that s so cute about bean and the donut. How is everyone feelingnowwiththecovid ? Cool about FaceTiming with your friend.

Lila, it is really heartbreaking about your son and the destructiveness and how much that impacts your household situation. I can relate in a lot of ways to that. Are you in physical danger when he's out of control? It's hard to imagine how you wouldn't be.

As far as getting rid of things, I don't think that's foolish at all, I think that sounds smart. I wish I felt like I could do that. I say if you feel like you can do it, do it! What a weight that would be lifted off your shoulders. People always say when they get rid of things they end up not missing most of it, and if you really do find you need something you got rid of you can buy it again. I think the experience And what you'd learn from it would be priceless. Could be like a fresh start. Good for everyone else in the house, too. I'm pretty sure there's a whole chapter in the hoarding book about Justin case. Perfectionism, creatives who can think of a use for everything, not wanting things to go to waste, adhd and decision making challenges, unresolved emotional issues that make us hold onto things we don't need... these are all things that contribute to us finding ourselves here grappling with this unique set of challenges.

SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES... anyone up for a july challenge? I don't have any ideas I just know I could use some focus!

Good morning!

Road, you are a good sister. I don't think I could keep going to a house that smelled that bad.

I have started avoiding news. I need to for my mental health. Now I just ask Dh when he is reading the news if there's anything I want to know. He always says no. We didn't go to the fireworks last night. I love fireworks, but I just wasn't feeling it. Dh even looked up when they were and read it out loud to me and I didn't even respond. I think I may be fighting depression again, which is a little scary to me because this is not normal for me in summer. In summer If anything I usually get manic. It's probably situational, because I miss Bean and Covid still makes me angry, and all I could think about the 4th of July was "yay, we aren't British! We don't have to have free universal health care that includes mental health!" (And some other stuff but I know this is not a place for politics - i just figured you guys could probably get behind my "healthcare is good" position. - I know there are downsides in England.)

Dh went to work at work today. My focal points are supposed to be: garden - before it gets too hot in about two hours, cheesemaking - and cleaning up after, laundry - we are at clean underwear crisis point, and side porch - I'm going to at least get enough done to move the stuff from the bench into there.

Lila, keep up the good work, and shout outs to Becky, tatoulua, and CM!

Hi everyone,

Hope all had a good 4th!

I had some nice visits,with a few friends
On the 3rd.Good to read the posts.
Wow,you all are getting UR done.

Great Job!

I just had a wasp scare. Finally hitting
Them with spray.
I'm Haveing ashma problems. I should have been more careful with crystal sanding.
Dam. Not inside.

Got alot done in kitchen,buddies up with hope.
Yay.
My daughter has covid for 2nd time.
Very recovers,and ran off with boyfriend.
Dropped contact.Make me so mad,because I
Worry.

I ended a relationship with a girlfriend
Who has become increasing rude.
She can reach out to me. I'm done.

Perhaps another friend,with bipolar.
My mom had it.

Trying to get started today.Things fall
Apart so fast in my home.
Trying to get the trash can thing figured

Out. I guess I have to tie them down.
I need them available in every room.

I was blessed with all my favorite artists
On CD. So been blasting the music.

Hugs to all. Becky

Hi everyone,

Had to share. Just got a friend request.

A handsome General,in the Army.Whoa!!

Not used to this.He was very complimentary
About my posts.

We both belong to a rock hounding site.

I'm single,and could use the conversation
With a ( Real Man) not a boy. Ha

Looked at his profile,and Wow.

Very similar interests.

I need to take it slow. A little nervous.

Cause he may be in Colorado

Any ideas,ladies.

Becky

You guys, I am doing so good! I am proud of myself!

In addition to making carrot dogs, cleaning my dog's ears and trimming his nails, and putting in 2 loads, I have:

- put the quilt in a sealed bag in the garage
- got out the two small totes of spices and seasonings from my bedroom, sorted them, looked at the spices in my kitchen and got rid of any that are more than 5 years old and replaced with newer ones from the totes. I put a few in the drawer in the kitchen also, and got my spice stash down to only ONE small tote! It is going back in my bedroom but I have a goal of finding space for it in the kitchen at some point.
- went outside and swept the side of the house where the flea room is, so the guy can spray there
- swept up the driveway nearesy the house
- trimmed a few more straggly branches from my trees and put them in the compost bin
- brought a bassinet in from the garage. It is almost new, given to me by a friend. I am babysitting Acorn tonight while my son and dil take Tot to the fireworks!
- Swept more of the garage

I am really so proud of myself. Having some iced tea now (it is 1:00) and then I am going to work on the laundry and all the clean stuff I just washed from teen's room.

Problem - I don't know where teen got SO MANY clothes but I am certain half of them don't even fit. They could belong to a friend. They were literally all over the floor. I am considering putting them into a tote, so teen can go through them when they return. I don't think I can donate any of it without teen.

I have good energy today so working hard.

Yay Lila! Enjoy your time with acorn!

The dining table is clean, the kitchen is mostly clean, the great room including couches is clean. There are sorted stacks on the entryway bench which will get moved as I start on the side porch and make space to group like with like (every category also exists in multiple places on the side porch.)

Most of this is school/work or garden related.

Hyper puppy just wiped out my post just as I was about to hit send. Arrrrgha! Be back

Hi, I'm home decluttering too. In fits and starts. If I try to do a big push these days I quickly get burnt out and then my attitude starts to go south. So baby steps.

Trying not to think about the day I lost Friday with vehicle emergency and where I would have been on the cleaning had my original plan materialized. Also trying not to be annoyed with roommate because she waited to text me until she was already on the road - if she would text before she leaves her family's city it would give me maximum heads up. I've tried and tried to hammer that home, and sometimes I succeed and sometimes not. Trying to believe she had a good reason. I don't want to be harsh or unforgiving; she is maxed out on all fronts.

Anyhow. I don't even have the sofa cleared, much less the vacuuming and washing the sheet we keep on the sofa because of the kitty. If she wants to nap this afternoon I won't be able to vacuum. And with the huge dog home it can be more complicated too. Le sigh... 🙁

P.S. I've heard about the carrot dogs. Maybe someday will get brave enough to try them. I have sensory issues with foods I think I mentioned, and though technically I do "like" hot dogs, I got grossed out reading what's in them so I gave them up. I've tried soy dogs in the past and they were sort of okay. The carrot ones, it would depend on the flavor, whether it was like a meat dog or weird and vegetabley.

P.P.S. Have you tried Diatomaceous Earth sprinkled around as an adjunct means of flea control? It's natural and environmentally friendly. It does seem to help.

yay, glad to see posts!

CM, I have heard of DE from my friends with dogs. I forgot about it. I will look into using it for this. I don't know if I can/should rub it on the cat also, or can use it in bedding etc. I will do some research and get some as long as it is safe for cats. Thanks!

I cleaned my dog's ears and put some cream in them. He has some kind of allergies (not fleas) from either food or environment, I think, and his ears get itchy. They look better now. I also trimmed his nails. I am glad I got that done. I may try and dremel them later to smooth them down, and may brush him as well.

I have so much pain in my right knee I am limping. They said it is arthritis and a cyst. I took naproxen and rubbed some penetrex cream on it. I think I will put my shoes on now and go outside and sweep the area outside teen's room. And maybe the driveway, and put a few sticks in the mulch bin.

Then will put the bag containing the quilt into the garage. I decided not to wash/dry it since it is nearly new and is clean. I think in a bag in the hot garage for a week will kill any fleas.

I also took phentermine as I am trying very hard to get this weight off, but I regained 4 more freaking pounds. UGH.

Awww, thank you CM! That is so cute. And I will take it. LOL.

I spent all afternoon researching washers and dryers, then pricing them and finally buying them. They will be here in 3 weeks. Ours are dying, making spots on clothes sometimes, keep breaking down and just not worth putting money in to fix anymore. They are also rusty. I will be very happy when they are gone and we have nice shiny new ones in there! I have a very small laundry room with not much in there, so it won't be too hard to declutter. Harder to clean... lots of dust and lint, plus the litter box. I will clean it really good before the new ones arrive.

I also put in two loads of flea sheets and blankets from teen's room. I am almost ready to spray in there. Teen is gone and cat won't be allowed in there while it dries overnight. Then I will vacuum tomorrow. I was told to sweep the outside edge of the house and get any dead leaves and debris away from there as well. I will do that tomorrow too.

I am home all day tomorrow until dinner so will try to only eat/drink things that will give me good energy, and get a lot done in the decluttering department.

My dog is angry and bored so I better go play with him a bit before bedtime.

Happy 4th! I hope many of you are out having fun but I also hope a few are home, like me, trying to clean and declutter. I like it when we are serial posting and having conversations.

I did two more loads of wash last night (stayed up late) from the flea room. The only thing left is a small quilt a relative made for teen. I need to reserach how to wash or maybe just the dryer will get rid of any fleas on it. I don't want to ruin it. I need to take out what's in the dryer and dry the sheets that are in the washer.

I sprayed the room last night and closed it off. It says it is safe for pets after 2 hours. I am waiting a bit more and will vacuum it and air it out.

Already this morning I made homemade chai from my spices (sipping now) and am making "carrot dogs" which are vegan hot dogs where you marinate carrots and eat them like a hot dog. I am vegetarian, mostly, now, and can't eat hot dogs die to the cancer. Son will be grilling and I am bringing these dogs and some frozen bean burgers. Son will have real burgers and dogs there for others as well.

Hoping to get lots done today before the bbq. I will be back to share.

Lila, I know you will be glad to be done with the flea issue.

I am feeling tired and unmotivated today. I have managed to clean off the couch, but mostly by moving stuff to a nearby bench that also needed to be cleaned off. At least I have all the things that needed sorting out in one place?

Hey

It's been quite a last few days. I had to get some repairs done on my van. This is not like the old van that was a money pit. These repairs were straightforward and the van runs great. But they aren't free, of course. There will be a couple of other things but I can take a few months to spread out the expenses.

Roommate is gone till midday tomorrow. Because of some of the things with the van, I was late and disjointed getting the weekend rolling, also ADHD was pretty bad and I was having the devil of a time remembering all the pet care and other things I needed to do. Some things got forgotten. But we are all still alive. I don't know how my roommate keeps track of it all. I do know she feels incredibly pressured most of the time; even if she does have an adequate memory, she still has to physically do the things.

She found out last week that an uncle had died of Covid earlier this year, and the memorial service is next week. Her siblings will be coming to town. Which means, I must clear the "nest" of my junk off the sofa. Which I had been thinking of doing anyway while she was away. No escaping or procrastinating now.

I've got to figure out things about papers that I could purge. For example, in my involvement with the bunny rescue. So many ideas jotted down over the years, yet I think much of it is obsolete because we are just flying by the seat of our pants after Covid and organizational shakeup and them having extra bunnies - my lovely bullet point lists of ideas may never matter. And I accept that.

There are undoubtedly more areas of my life where similar reassessments are in order. I need clarity.

And a computer, for real. The current one did a thing the other day, just shut off with no warning. Rebooted fine but I'm not waiting for another motherboard failure like the last time. So I will be backing up data to external hard drives and starting to shop. Best be proactive.

For now, wish me luck getting the nest dismantled.

This one is for Lila - I totally relate

Let me try again with a different url

Yes, the vhs tapes are going to be a big thing. Maybe don't start there.

Think about this - right now is not the time for you to have pictures framed in glass on your walls. Probably the next three years are not that time. We don't know exactly when that time might be, and that is ok. But you need to make your home fit your life now. So the empty picture frames should go. Trust that when it is time to hang a framed picture on the wall, you will be able to find a picture frame that works.

If you had a metal cabinet, you could cover the front in pictures in magnetic frames. Or cover the front in pictures and protect them with plexiglass. Or just paint it to look beautiful. Meanwhile you could stack the locking tubs in a place where the cabinet will go and cover them with a blanket - you have extra blankets, right? Are any of them pretty?

Good job on the otoscope!

I cleaned off the dining table! And I FaceTimed my best friend. I haven't seen him live in 22 years. We just write and send photos. His voice is deeper. And he was self conscious about his hair being gray. - which is funny because he sends pictures! And he carried me around the room and introduced me to his kids. It was amazing.

Back to work.

Yes, the vhs tapes are going to be a big thing. Maybe don't start there.

Think about this - right now is not the time for you to have pictures framed in glass on your walls. Probably the next three years are not that time. We don't know exactly when that time might be, and that is ok. But you need to make your home fit your life now. So the empty picture frames should go. Trust that when it is time to hang a framed picture on the wall, you will be able to find a picture frame that works.

If you had a metal cabinet, you could cover the front in pictures in magnetic frames. Or cover the front in pictures and protect them with plexiglass. Or just paint it to look beautiful. Meanwhile you could stack the locking tubs in a place where the cabinet will go and cover them with a blanket - you have extra blankets, right? Are any of them pretty?

Good job on the otoscope!

I cleaned off the dining table! And I FaceTimed my best friend. I haven't seen him live in 22 years. We just write and send photos. His voice is deeper. And he was self conscious about his hair being gray. - which is funny because he sends pictures! And he carried me around the room and introduced me to his kids. It was amazing.

Back to work.

That is so cool about the FaceTime, SubC! Very fun!

I think you are onto something with stacking the tubs where a cabinet would go, maybe covering it with a pretty blanket. Which also makes me consider consolidating or getting rid of some of the glassware etc. A few items perhaps.

I have struggled for so long to find energy. I know when I eat healthy and exercise I have more, but that doesn't help me today. It's too late in the day for caffeine. Maybe if I just start working on things, the energy will come.

I need to continue washing laundry, blankets, sheets from teen's flea bedroom. I bought some natural flea spray, so once all the laundry is out of there, I will vacuum the room and then spray in there and leave it for 24 hours.

I wrote some time ago about how if someone offered me $10k I could get rid of most of my belongings. Maybe I need to just get rid of it all and TRUST that $10k will come into my life at some point to get the things I need. What do you guys think about that? Is it foolishness to get rid of things I MIGHT need someday?

That is so cool about the FaceTime, SubC! Very fun!

I think you are onto something with stacking the tubs where a cabinet would go, maybe covering it with a pretty blanket. Which also makes me consider consolidating or getting rid of some of the glassware etc. A few items perhaps.

I have struggled for so long to find energy. I know when I eat healthy and exercise I have more, but that doesn't help me today. It's too late in the day for caffeine. Maybe if I just start working on things, the energy will come.

I need to continue washing laundry, blankets, sheets from teen's flea bedroom. I bought some natural flea spray, so once all the laundry is out of there, I will vacuum the room and then spray in there and leave it for 24 hours.

I wrote some time ago about how if someone offered me $10k I could get rid of most of my belongings. Maybe I need to just get rid of it all and TRUST that $10k will come into my life at some point to get the things I need. What do you guys think about that? Is it foolishness to get rid of things I MIGHT need someday?

Lila, All of us here have an imaginary friend called "Justin Case" but Justin is not a good friend. He takes advantage. He clutters up our lives with things we don't need and often never turns up to claim them, so we try not to store things for "just in case"

I think that if you have not used it in the last year, and you do not have a clear plan for when you will use it (example "I will use this when tot is seven, so even though that is a long way off, I have a clear plan for it.") you should get rid of it. I believe you will be able to have the things you need. Especially if you stop buying things you don't need.

Lila, All of us here have an imaginary friend called "Justin Case" but Justin is not a good friend. He takes advantage. He clutters up our lives with things we don't need and often never turns up to claim them, so we try not to store things for "just in case"

I think that if you have not used it in the last year, and you do not have a clear plan for when you will use it (example "I will use this when tot is seven, so even though that is a long way off, I have a clear plan for it.") you should get rid of it. I believe you will be able to have the things you need. Especially if you stop buying things you don't need.

I have been told by horse people that when you teach a horse to jump, you begin by laying the bar on the ground and leading the horse to step over it. I have seen this done with alpacas, who can learn to leap bars that are quite high.

Lay your bar down, we will coax you over.

Lila, a few things stand out to me - you have three jewelry boxes - are they empty? Where is your jewelry?

What is supposed to be in those empty frames? Is there wall space for the unhung pictures? Is the problem that teen might pull them off the wall?

Just a thought that might or might not appeal - There are a variety of locking metal cabinets available which might help you better store all of those tote items if you have the furniture room. I realize that they can be quite expensive. Maybe you can find a dollar every day to put in a jar? - start with your change. You would have enough for a nice one in a year. Trust me, a year is not a long time.

Can the otoscope go in the medicine cabinet?

Are the vhs tapes personal or commercial?

Give the dog a treat.

My bar for today is to maintain or improve the kitchen while processing more beans and possibly making cheese. Also to clean up the dining table and great room space - especially the couch I have buried.