Wow?! Tess, i hope all is going well? This could be the beginning of a wonderful new phase for you?! Being able to have people come here is a big motivator for me, even tho i am a very private person & have always considered my place my sanctuary, it has hindered having relationships in general.
I am happy to report that i cleared some weeds to burn & it does make a difference & it was very easy, considering how nice it looks! YIPEEEE!!! 😀
Tillie, i love your story about your dream about using red paint! That is so neat! ;D
Hello to all you Happy Hoarders!!! ~☆♡☆~

Today I have to let people in my apartment for the first time in 5 years. To say I'm nervous is an understatement. I worked like crazy for the last 3 days to get ready. While it looks much much better, you can definitely tell it's not "clean". Especially the floors. Wish me luck. They'll be here in half an hour. I'm so nervous.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO!
YEA! for your beautiful weather 😀
Reason I live in deserts is because there is very seldom any humidity.
Humidity is the worst.
Crank up the music and "let the good times roll!" 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
What I like best about watching "HOARDERS" is listening to the therapists, Doctors, professional organizers and Cory Chalmers talking.
The things they say are very, very insightful and helpful.
WAY TO GO! for keeping up with healthy eating and exercising. 😀

Hi Diane 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! 😀
Cleaning up outside counts as much as cleaning up inside.
Good plan to spend the rainy days working inside. 🙂

A good way to tackle a paper pile is to nibble away at it.
Force yourself to periodically throughout the day to grab one piece, make a decision to keep or toss.
This breaks it down into a less terrifying project. 🙂

Beautiful morning here.
My vision/perception and balance is not what it used to be.
The front porch is a cement platform with two steps down toward the front and both sides.
Being all the same cement color it can be hard to see clearly exactly where these areas end and I am constantly worrying about falling.
It came to me in a dream last night to paint the edges red.
So, this morning while still in my nightgown and robe I did just that.
Used red spray paint and a piece of cardboard, took maybe five minutes. 😀
Looks GREAT and really makes a difference.

TTYS 🙂

Hi, was great reading all of your posts, I am impressed with all that you accomplished. Past few days I have worked all day in the yard. Cleaned up all kinds of things, crammed plastic stool, containers in garbage can, that were cracked or unusable. Moved huge wood stumps, rocks etc. I would be out there now if body wasn't so sore. Cancelled helper tomorrow, can't go through that this week. Have done nothing in here except dishes and laundry. Thought the shame would motivate me, but instead cool weather got me out cleaning and organizing the yard, where I love being. This week we will have cool weather and maybe rain, so will work in here. Next week will be hot. Crazy temp. swings. I want to start some rocks tumbling in tumbler this week.
Tat, I too, have the paper problem, a little stack on table by chair where I am sitting, and on desk, seems most difficult to deal with, hopefully I will join your clean table club.
Tillie I was so impressed with all that you have done, your body is really cooperating this year!
How can I make this room better? thanks again for this wise question Tat, I think it was tat? Any who, off to see if I can make living area a little better, papers, vacuum laundry, dishes? We will see. Words are hard to find to express how much I appreciate all of you. Hi LR, Anon

Wow, Tatoulia?! That is really inspiring? Continue that flow?!! Id love to be there?! Ive been really feeling more pressure to get things better, since my relationship fell apart. Im thinking of trying to find someone to hire, just to make myself do it by having someone come here on those days?!! Ive been considering getting some of the 'Hoarder'tv shows on dvd from the library to shock myself into hopefully positive change?!! I looked at some 'hoarder memes'and that really shook me up??!!?? Even with this devistating breakup, ive been being so good on eating healthy & exercising, but cant seem to make myself get anything done on this place....tho, the beautiful job my ex did on my backyard makes me think if i could just do that in the side & front yard, itd be like Heaven?!! I know i need to.....(sigh)

Hello Tillie & Joan & everyone else!

I got three bags of garbage out tonight and two big bags of recycling. I don't know where it all comes from! But as long as it goes, I'm happy.

It is a joy to see my table. I'm doing laundry and picking at papers. Just got the kitty's blankets back from her holiday at my BF's and I need to wash those. I also took a big bag to the car to donate to goodwill. So I'm getting stuff out, Good feeling.

This feels good. Will out some music on and keep the good feelings coming my way.

Love to you all.
PS Tillie the weather here has been mercifully cool and dry -- dry meaning no humidity--has been rain but rain I doesn't bother me, heat and humidity do, what a blessing.

Good Afternoon/Early Evening 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Wishing you strength and perseverance on the papers! 😀
(((hugs)))

Hi LR2014 🙂
So good to "see" you!
Good luck with your plans.
Wishing your wrists a speedy recovery. (((hugs)))

Hi Joan 🙂

This morning the weather was perfect window washing weather.
All the windows and screens I can access have been washed inside and out.
Hosed off the outside walls that are not buried in clutter too.
Washed off the front porch, door mats and walkway too.
Four windows and the back porch are not done due to being covered in his "stuff".
Oh well.....
Right now I am watering the grass with the sprinkler.
It has been a busy day but I am so happy the windows are finally clean. 🙂

Missing so many of you. 🙁

Working on remnant pile from coffee table. Have moved to couch where it is very inconvenient and everytime I sit on couch I naturally start pulling out pieces of paper to deal with.

Cannot live like this, so I'm hoping to make some real progress on it.

Tillie, that was a great post about "good enough". It is important that we aim to avoid extreme decluttering, as well as exteme cluttering. I am comfortable in most cluttered houses, but wretched in overly scoured spaces. The people who live in antiseptic environments are usually the most toxic to me.

Also, in response to the bit about the old sock: I DO give myself clean-up credits based on not just what or how much I address, but on how old the stuff is. It is much more difficult for me to move things around that have been with me longer.

LR!!!! great to hear from you! Keep up the good work!!

Hi, everybody. Just checking in.

For a variety of reasons, I decided to do kind of a work-a-thon session this weekend on my vehicle. Might not be the best approach, but at least I did make some progress. I plan to work on it some more tomorrow.

Gonna keep this short, because I've been having some wrist issues lately that are made worse by writing. : ( Hugs to all.

WAY TO GO!!!! Tatoulia!
Doing a happy dance for you!!! 😀
FANTASTIC!!!!
I am so happy. This table has haunted you for far too long.
Now keep it polished and as a trophy.
You earned it.
(((HUGS)))
😀

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
YEA!!!
Music and motivation! 😀
Hoping that coffee table has been conquered! 😀
(((hugs!)))

Due to an accident my brother too had surgeries, crutches and eventually a cane.
He refused to accept having to use a cane all his life. He was 20 and I was 16 at the time.
We didn't have any physical therapists around so he and I together worked extremely hard until he could walk without the cane.
Then he did not want the limp, so we kept working until he could walk again with no noticeable limp.
It was very hard work that took a very long time to achieve what the doctors had said was impossible.

Many times in life we CAN do what seems impossible, if we are determined enough. 😀

The weather here is insane.
Last week it was over 100 degrees.
Last few days it has dipped down into the 60s over night.
This morning I am shivering at 65 degrees and it's cloudy and dark.
Since it's the middle of June I am obstinate and refusing to turn on a heater.
Already took care of the friend's cats I am baby sitting.
Fed my own cats too.
Was planning to hose down the outside walls and wash the windows today, have all the supplies ready to do this.
But it's too freaking cold to play with the hose.
Maybe tomorrow?
Think today I will read the newest Stephen King book. 🙂

TTYS

Good morning--nearly afternoon here. Just finished my cup of coffee -- coffee clinks to all. Thinking of Roxie.

Cleaned off my coffee table last night and it looks beautiful. Still a large pile of papers that I didn't reach, they were pushed to my desk (which is always neat because I work on my desk during the days I am home). So I will have to deal with that pile of papers tonight or go to office tomorrow. Cannot work from home otherwise. I thought that was a clever way to deal with it.

I psychologically needed to see the coffee table clear, and that's why I chose to relocate the last remnants of the clutter off of it. Before I shower and go to pick up mom, I will sweep the area around the coffee table. And tonight while I watch the Tony Awards, I will power through the remaining pile.

Wishing you all a beautiful day. Check in when you can,

Brace yourselves: I've had an epiphany😀

I'm making real progress tonight (with a special thanks to Ray Charles for providing excellent accompaniment to my work) and I was thinking about my brother. Many years ago he had a series of surgeries and afterward he used a walker and eventually progressed to a cane. He refused physical therapy and other things that would have helped him get back on his feet. And one day he was complaining about the cane, and I said, well when you get sick enough of it you'll get rid of it.

I'm sick of my coffee table being buried under junk. I'm sick enough. Tonight's the night.

Hello! Saturday night and am home and just woke up from a nap. I haven't been sleeping well and the nap was fantastic. Doing laundry and going to change the sheets but I do not get a Way To Go for that because those are routine chores. Let's see what happens when I put on the music

Thought my 20s and 30s and part of 40/s I could have people drop by and I felt good about apt. Need to get back to that. I miss having a neat and clean house. I may have had too much stuff but I could have people in. No longer the case.

It sounds like both of you -- Tillie and Diane -- had great days.

Spent day with brother who was a little squirrelly (did not like that I'd been out of town) and now I just want to put on music and clean. I think I left my phone in the car so at least I won't be fooling around on that tonight. I have iPad but will switch on some tunes and see if I can't putter a bit.

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for all you did! 😀
Makes me sad to read that you felt the need to use clutter to keep people out of your home.
A home is our sanctuary away from the rest of the world's people and troubles.
What I do whenever some person who is not a close friend (I have three close friends) drops by is to step out on the porch, close the door behind me and talk to them outside.
Often they ask "may I come in?" and I simply say "NO".
Not because I am ashamed of the way my home looks, which I'm not, but because I do not like random people inside my private personal sanctuary.
When I am working on a project the items needed to do it are out where I can use them.
It's not a mess or clutter. It is a work in progress.
Only after the project is finished do I put the stuff away where it belongs.
If the project takes a few days to complete, the counter and table and floor where I am working needs to be gathered up over night or the cats will get into it all and make a mess of it but I just gather it up and set the stuff aside, not put away.
We live in our homes, random drop by visitors do not. No need to live our lives always trying to please them. (((HUGS)))

It has cooled off here. Last night I got chilly and had to close the window.
Finally back down to normal temperatures for this time of year, 70s to low 80s.
Yesterday I thought there was not enough time to do all the things I wanted to do, but I was wrong.
My space heaters for wintertime are getting old and I wanted to pick up new ones.
The Naval Air Station here has wonderful, generous people who donate all household stuff when they transfer out.
This time of year there are new, even unused space heaters donated.
I bought an electric radiator for 5 dollars and found an Edenpur space heater for 10 dollars.
So I am all ready for next winter! 😀
Watered the trees and flowers when I got back home.
Saw neighbor friends off on their trip.
Did one load of laundry.
Watched a movie.
Visited neighbor's house and played with and gave snacks to their cats.
It was a good day. 🙂

Thanks so much T&T, Tat and Tillie. It became very clear that I have been trying to please my helper. She said she has always been uncomfortable if anything is out of place in her house and that is why she makes sure it is perfect before she goes to bed at night. I felt so bad for 2 days, then I told her I was trying to please her and not even aware what pleases me. I said you have always been organized, I have spent over 60 years unable to organize and it is unrealistic to think I am going to do perfection now and probably never. She reminded me I need house ready daily in case someone drops by. I said my family never had company and I have used clutter as a reason to keep people away, until clutter buried me. I now need to know what I need to be comfortable. Tillie reading your post, I do want "good enough", and allow myself lots of time to go where I want with who I want, or just by myself, which I prefer usually. I was aware today that I am usually doing some fixit project and need to put stuff away when done, but not while doing project.
I got up this morning and sorted two boxes more of stationary, cutesie stuff and was able to donate, toss most of it, still see I want to get rid of more. I washed some containers that were left in the yard. Finished cleaning out all drawers in the desk, was able to let go of stuff I did not see a need for. Felt quite successful. Sat down to relax and saw some things that need to be put away, then said it is good enough for now. Thanks for all the support

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
Please listen to Tatoulia.
Her words of wisdom come from personal experience. 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂

I think you both need to stop being so hard on yourselves.
Decluttering and changing the ways we keep house is very, very difficult.
I know you are feeling like you have to now do it all perfectly.
Perfect is impossible to achieve.
Accept that you are different than Martha Steward and other natural born home makers.
Strive for "good enough".
Good enough is to have your home a safe, healthy and comfortable place to live.
Most people's homes are not picture perfect, just good enough.
Once the excess clutter has been removed and the areas cleaned, a weekly or monthly cleaning routine, one day spent re-cleaning, may be all you need to do in a home without children.
Please do not believe that you now must clean everything everyday.
I sure as heck don't.
I do clean up messes as they happen and tidy up when & where it's needed
but then I look around and see if it's "good enough".
On days where it is not good enough I will do my usual general house cleaning. Depending on what's been going on in here, that can be once every two weeks on average.
By doing the quick tidy ups like wiping down the bathroom sink & swishing the toilet, sweeping or a quick running the vacuum and washing the dishes once I have a certain number of them to wash, keeps this place "good enough".
My Granma taught me all about "good enough", which is how everybody who did not have servants back before electricity did it.
With the invention of electric dish washers, washers & dryers, Hoovers, clothes irons and all the other modern electrical appliances women were then expected to have an entire weeks worth of house work done in one day, every day.
And do all this work dressed in taffeta, pearls and high heels.
Just look at the old magazine ads.
Women then began to abuse sedatives and alcohol at an alarming rate because they felt that they were failures as homemakers because they could not do it all perfectly, like the magazines told them they should be able to.
All my life "good enough" has kept me dressed in clean clothes, in a healthy environment, with time enough for other activities other than cleaning house.
My mother on the other hand always tried to imitate those magazine ads and articles.
In a house with five children picture perfect was impossible to achieve.
My mother was always, depressed, mean, miserable, drunk and popping pills.
Never happy or content with her life.
Anyways....
What I am trying to say is to find what is right for you.
Do not try to live up to the unrealistic expectations of magazine and tv ads or what you believe others expect of you.
Be your own woman. (((HUGS)))

Diane, I agree--it is time-consuming and energy-zapping to be a hoarder. There are definitely times where I feel like it's futile and I come here and I post and I read until I find myself moving a little. Tonight I am actually disgusted with myself for fooling around on the Internet (what a time thief!) instead of doing stuff. So I took the last five minutes to shred some papers and to start the dishwasher. I'm not sure if I feel better, I am just so frustrated, but I did those things and those things are better than nothing. And now I am enjoying some kitty lovings, and that's nice too. I think you still have a dog with you right now, and that dog thinks you are perfect.

I think you are a perfect friend and a terrific person. So let's hold onto that for today and see what tomorrow brings. I know we can do it. I am so proud of all you have done and I support you in your rock-hunting excursion! I have thought about petrified wood since a child and although I've seen a piece here or there, I am positively green with envy that you have it at your fingertips. Keep up the good work--we are all in this together.

And Tillie--I was so happy to read your post and the descriptions of your life. So wonderful. It is very cool here on the East and if it never warmed up, I'd be so happy. I think I mentioned before that the clutter in my house gets me particularly upset during the hot and humid summer.

Thanks Tat, very helpful to ask how can I make this room better. Still having a tough time today, feel immobilized. To pick up a sock or do recycling is a big deal when we are down on ourselves. tomorrow may be more productive, being a hoarder is really overwhelming

Diane please don't call yourself a failure--please don't do that in front of me. YES I am guilty of calling myself stupid and a loser but I cannot have you say that about yourself. You are wonderful and industrious and hard working and inspiring. And I think the world of you, as do many, many other people.

That said, I know all too well that feeling. I sit here in my filthy house and question my worth Isn't that terrible? I can spend this time wondering why I even bother and then I think, what can I do to improve this room? And sometimes the answer is big, and sometimes it's small. Today when I picked up a sock off my bathroom floor that was small (although for the length of time that it stayed there, it may actually belong in the big column hah!). And now I am taking my recyclables out. That too is small. But I see what little thing I can do everytime I stand up and leave one room for another. Just because I'm leaving the room anyway, why not pick up the pencil or this or that and dispose.

Mail and paper; absolute bane of my existence.

Much love to all.

Hi everyone.
Yesterday my helper came here. She was very gentle pointing out how my not doing maintenance has made it look messy in here. I joked it off but felt so full of shame. We got some stuff done. we finally fixed my old toilet with new parts I bought, now has new seat and a handle that works. Was going to replace toilet but now is ok. Took the dog I am taking care of for a walk and started feeling better. I have to confess. A mobile home a few blocks from here had to be removed because of black mold. A developer bought property and will not develop land for over a year. Old renters had do not trespass sign all over the acre of land. So since he is gone and I had to see if the cool rocks were still there, in I went. Another neighbor came over and we dug up all the petrified wood. He assured me the new owner is fine with us taking rocks, will just flatten land to develop. This morning I washed all my beauties, some really great rocks. Point is I can work for 3 hours digging up rocks, another 3 hours washing them yet I act like it is too much work to clean the floors. Doing maintenance is still so foreign to me, have started doing dishes daily, and keeping laundry done, leaving mail and other paperwork all over is another story. Also covering up windows with a bunch of stuff to keep heat out, really messed it up in here
same with tools and fix it stuff, start stuff, leave it undone, start something else. Yesterday felt so bad about myself, today feeling more hopeful, yet have not done much in side today. Without this group, I really think I would give up. Last year I told Tilly, I have never seen anyone on this site ever stay organized, so then gave up. Well with help this year, I have made huge progress, but still not able to finish letting go of some stuff, and leaving stuff out in here as well as in the yard. I am definitely afraid I will fail again this year.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Steve 🙂
Good luck with your important meeting with the attorney.
Hope you get some sort of help from it.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Bet your cat is very happy you are back home.
We're happy to see you too! 😀
WAY TO GO!!! getting the laundry done, folded and put away!
Good luck getting the gifts wrapped and taken care of.

Hi Diane 🙂
Hope by now that desk is all cleaned and sorted out.
We need to keep that rock room a wonderful place for you to spend time in. 😀
Even if fruit smoothies is all you care to have during this oppressive heat that's ok.
You make them fresh yourself, so they are healthy.
Did you find help in getting the old desk out of your yard?
If all else fails, you can always tear it apart into easier to manage pieces. (((hugs)))

Yesterday was really busy. Up & running early to beat the heat.
Drove to town, bought groceries and was back home before 9:00am.
Put stuff away, prepped some food, cleaned the kitchen.
Had long visit with neighbor friend. I will be baby sitting their 3 cats and watching over their house starting Friday while they are away.
Yesterday evening I had to get out and water a bunch of my plants & grass once it started to cool down.
Darn mosquitos are vicious out there. 🙁
Hoping today is a calmer, less busy day for me. 🙂

TTYL 🙂

I ended up doing tons of laundry tonight--and sticking with my newly formed habit of folding and putting away. I also emptied and refilled dishwasher--I am consistently amazed that it only takes five minutes. More astonishing--that I still occasionally let the dishes pile up. No real cleaning or purging today but am glad to get the laundry done.

I will vacuum and dust tomorrow. Also have two gifts to wrap. One then needs to be mailed. I must get this done. I will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Hello everyone!

I am back from my trip--and thankfully today is cool, sunny, dry, etcetera. No humidity, so I'm able to do laundry and other things without turning into a limp rag. Getting laundry done and going to do some other things--will report back later.

Hoping everyone is well and want you to know I'm thinking of you. Sending special thoughts your way, Steve, as you face the struggles in front of you.

Is this board like Twitter or something? Longer posts can't get through.

Each hoarding situation is of course unique, but the case of my brother has a few "extras". Namely, that I had to do preemptive action today and buy a gun box worth nearly $200 and go to our hoarded family home and secure the gun. This is because there is a meeting with the lawyer for my mother's trust (and my brother is the trustee) and this is an important meeting in which some serious problems are going to be addressed and I didn't want him either blowing himself away or going to work and doing violence there.

This is a brother who nearly killed himself with the gun eight years ago and also nearly strangled a guy to death because he was swindled out of some drugs about 9 or 10 years ago. He has also told me on a few occasions that one day, if he were pushed too far, I might see him "on the 6 o'clock evening news." He later denied ever saying anything like this, but I remember the last time he said it. It was outside the hospital in the weeks leading up to our mother's death.

He most certainly can buy his own gun, but that takes time. Now he cannot go get it in a heat of passion. Unfortunately I am in circumstances where I could not just take it. But I did take the bullets as an extra precaution.

Too many shootings happen because family members don't look for the signs and don't think ahead.

I am glad that at least that is out of the way. But I will hopefully feel better once the meeting is over tomorrow. It is going to be rough.

I am with you Tillie, want the cool morning to last all day, this heat is a bit much day after day. Had big plans to get stuff done in here today, and all I have done today is water outside plants. Black hole describes my life today, have windows all covered and recovered, very little light in here. Did keep up on dishes, ate healthy breakfast, few and far between lately. Tillie reminded me of my fruit smoothies, just seeing her post, so will have that today too. Plan is to clean desk from craft closet that is now in rock room. Hauled rock room desk outside, need help getting it out of yard. Today I was thinking of nailing it back together to use as a painting table, then said, yard has enough junk still in it. Good news is garbage can is almost full. ok, will make a smoothie and clean that desk. It was in craft room closet for 20 years and is really filthy and have to clean out stuff in drawers, did get rid of some of it, but drawers are still on floor. Once I clean it and have drawers back in, rock room will be good again. So happy there are other posters on here, especially old faithful.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
So happy your friend had air conditioning! 😀
WTG! for tossing old firewood tarps. It will be nice having new ones for next winter. 🙂

Got everything watered yesterday.
Did two loads of laundry.
Then fell into a black hole and just wandered around aimlessly the rest of the day.
Hoping that today I can keep my mind focused and actually do some of the things I want to do.
Beautiful cool morning with a lovely little breeze.
Wish mornings like this could last all day. 🙂