So wonderful to take my lunch break and get to read all your posts! 😀

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Happy your back is better and hope you shake that cold ASAP 😀
I know exactly what you mean about the futility of trying to wrestle down that pig to get the lipstick on it.
But even just the pretty new paint I do in here truly does help lift my spirit.

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Since you are on Spring break and torn between should do or could do
may I suggest you just do what you feel like doing.
You need the break, rest and recreation.
If the weather is nice just go sit in the sun, take a nap, do an artsy project, etc...
WTG! for dropping of recyclables!
THANK YOU for that wonderful vision of a huge wall to blot it all out! (((HUGS)))
Your local wildlife will enjoy and appreciate that leftover bread.
I always put any food scraps out in my yard and someone always appreciates it.
But that bunny, I need to buy carrots for him/her and soon I will have tiny baby bunnies come by for them too. ;D

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hope the next storm is short & sweet.
Hyacinths are my favorite flower with carnations coming in second all because of their scents.
WTG! for laundry done! 😀
Hope your busy schedule straightens out soon.

I have sheets & pillow cases out drying on the line.
I have washed & rinsed the kitchen ceiling & wall & washed the cupboard doors.
There is a tiny bit of the original lavender paint still. I plan to use it all up giving the kitchen a fresh new coat.
Then maybe I will feel that the kitchen isn't always looking grubby.
But no painting today.
Time for me to wash my hair & do something fun.

So much to keep up with!

I am sorry about the water damage JTK. I hope it can be a new beginning for you. I suffered my own water damage years ago, but for me it was more of the first hint that there might be a problem and less of a turning point.

Anony, I am excited for you to go to your workshop! And I can't remember if I told you that I love your painting idea.

I am on spring break. I am torn between the need for a true break and the desire to seize the chance to get many things done. So far I have been mostly resting.

I did go with dh to buy hooks for the dish towels and oven mitts and I took a bag of light bulbs and a bag of rechargeable batteries along to drop at the recycling station in the store. Those have been in my laundry room for a long time.

Tillie, I am envisioning the watts towers and imagining you buying concrete and using it to gather up piles of his debris and encase them in a concrete wall surrounding part of your yard, then covering it with a beautiful tile mosaic and declaring "all space within this wall is mine!" And making a lovely garden with no view of his junk.

I have way too much bread in my car. I may end up scattering a bunch of it in the woods like Gretel. When I got to the food bank this morning, I was greated with "oh good. You have to take the bread." I asked didn't Jim want any of it and was told. "No. Jim is spitting up blood, so he's had to go to the emergency room." And also could I move the tuna cans closer to the edge of the shelf since i'm tall. Old people are tough.

I called my mom this afternoon and she wanted to discuss her will. She is leaving all of her jewelry to me and everything else jointly to my brother and me to divide as we wish. If she dies before my father, she is still leaving the jewelry to me, but the rest is to my father "for his use" and then it reverts to us. He can't give anything away without our permission. (Or remarry and leave everything to his new wife like my grandfather did.)

My father said he is just leaving everything to my mom. Except the bench (there is a bench my great grandfather made that is the only object in the house my brother and I both want enough to argue over - it belongs to my dad.) he said he's leaving the bench to my brother. Knowing my dad, he has told my brother he is leaving the bench to me. This bench literally has our childhoods marked into its surface. It is not pretty. Both of us are married to people who will look at us and say "let your sibling have the bench." We May have to share custody -lol.

Anony I didn't see your post! I too loved Tillie's saying. Glad your back is better. Do what you can--progress is progress!!!

TIllie! I love hyacinths! So pretty and the scent is so delicate and unmistakable. Hello little bunny!

I am doing laundry today. I did my sheets and pjs yesterday and I just finished towels. Jeans/dark items in dryer.

We are expecting a big snowstorm tonight so likely I'll be working from home tomorrow. When they close the office we just work ftom home. Should that occur I'll probably go in on Wednesday since I've had to take Thursday off due to volunteer work. One Board I am still on (until they appoint my replacement) so that kills Thursday AM and then in the afternoon I have training for one of my new positions. So I'll go in on Wednesday and then again on Friday. Hopefully I will have adjusted to the time change by then.

It is trash night and I won't want to miss it. I'll get it out as soon as it's 5:00.

~☆~Good morning & coffee clinks to all!!!~☆~
Tillie, your saying is hilarious! I have one like that; 'Its like putting lipstick on a pig'....sometimes i even call my place ~Pig Lipstick Ranch~ I often feel so resistent to patching up this place. Its so awful, but there have been times that a little lipstick has been cheerful, even if surrounded by yuckyness. I do know that horrid feeling of a new pile or mess. Anything in the wrong direction really sends me into panic & depression mode, too.
I have been totally babying myself & my back & its been really nice, and it worked?! My back is fine now! I have a cold, but thats ok! Im just gonna focus on the workshop! 😀 ....i might even start copying my letter to my sister on the stationary.....♡
~♡~I hope you each have a blissful day!~♡~

Good Monday Morning Everybody 😀
"Clink!"

So, what are you all up to this week?
Enquiring minds want to know.

Mister Cottontail Bunny has been in the garden every morning nibbling on the grass.
He's been here for so long he is not afraid of me any more.
Last Spring I bought a tiny potted pink Hyacinth and planted it in my garden.
It survived and has started to sprout. This time it has multiplied and there is the promise of six flower stalks.
Soon it will be time to work outside in the garden area.
Looking forward to that! 😀

Thank you Anonymoniker (((HUGS)))
The tiles are all assorted leftovers from many old projects.
I suppose I could "DO" something with them but I really don't want to.
I know how to properly tile and have done lovely jobs in the past in houses that are worthy of the time and work tiling takes.
But honestly, this place is such a wreck, needing some serious repairs.
Putting in time to tile anything is "just putting new panties on a dead whore".
My apologies to anyone I may have offended with my language. :/

Anony...
please take it easy with your back!
Feeling under the weather means it's time to take time off, rest, sleep, eat properly.
Feel better soon. (((HUGS)))

Took down the decorative items from the top of the cupboards, washed them and put them inside the cupboards.
Tomorrow, washing the ceiling and little bit of wall & light fixture won't take more than an hour.
Washing cupboard doors won't take long at all.
Hard boiling some eggs right now, plan to make devilled eggs.
Eggs is about the only protein I've been eating lately except for nuts & peanuts.
Lovely day, propped open the storm door to allow all the cats out in the garden.
Twinkles is still out there but all the others have come back in to use the litter box and are now taking naps.
So funny that they are so firmly litter box trained that they never go in the yard which is really just a very large sand box! ;D

~♡~Tillie~♡~, i am so sorry you have to live in such conditions? You deserve a nice place that you can thrive in?! I wish i had some kind of answer or suggestion, but i know its not simple.....i wonder if some of the tiles might be put to good use? Maybe a wall, or around a garden? Are they nice tiles? Im so sorry, sweetie. I wish you didnt have to go through this. Im horrified of my birth family members going through my mess after i die...
Ive been tending to my pulled back muscle all day today, too & i do think its better now! I feel better after eating, too...i definitely feel under the weather...?...whatever that means? ~☆♡☆~

Good Morning Everybody 🙂
"Clink!"

Well the stupid time change has happened again.
In Arizona we never did the daylight savings time except for one year when I was very young.
In Arizona, with DST it never got dark until midnight and as a kid going to bed while the sun was still shining was torture.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
That master cleanse sounds rough.
Please don't do any aspects of it that you don't feel comfortable with. (((hugs)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO! clean sink & vanity!!! 😀
Have a wonderful time today. (((hugs)))

Thinking tomorrow I may do a good deep clean on the kitchen.
Very small kitchen area...
Wash down the wall & ceiling & light fixture, wash cupboard doors & cupboard top and the few things I have displayed up there.
The freshly painted livingroom/diningroom area makes the kitchen look grubby.

Yesterday Steven bought another truckload of assorted ceramic tiles at the thrift shop.
We have no use for any of this and he already has a vast stash of tiles.
He is in no way a handyman or artistically creative.
He has no patience or skill to do any kind of home repair/improvement or maintenance.
This is very depressing.
Just hoping that I die before him so I don't have to move these heavy things if he dies first.
The very thought of me having to move out all this massive heavy hoard all by myself is so very depressing.
Oh well, at least I have decluttered the inside of the house, except his bedroom.
That makes me happy. 😀

Tatoulia, thank you!!! Actually, i cant wait to send it. There was one point, after i stopped taking the hormones(ha ha) that i got kinda angry about groveling, but ultimately, i feel the same way as you about apologies! I almost prefer things be my fault cuz then no one else has to apologize but me?! Im happy to have this opportunity kinda presented, but she should really take some responsibility for herself, too. Im not expecting her to. And i told her i do not expect her to forgive me for being a bully sister....forgiveness is a tricky subject with me....
.....and youre right, i need to fast later, after this workshop! I kinda feel like i have a cold, too... ~♡~Thank you, Tatoulia!~♡~

Anony, thank you for the info on your master cleanse. Good luck and only do what you can do on it! You have been looking forward to this class and do not let the cleanse get in your way.

Unsolicited advice: i try to do things that make me comfortable with my choices. I apologize, even when perhaps I am owed the apology, I say nice things, I smooth things over, etc so that I can be comfortable with my choices. And thus, I admire you for working on a letter to your sister. I also admire you if you ultimately don't send it. Supporting you every step of the way.

What a joy to wake yo to a clean sink and vanity. I need to motivate and do the bathroom floor.

Going to go get mom soon.

Happy Day everyone! Would love a piece of fruit with my breakfast, Tillie!

~☆~Good Morning!~☆~Lemon, maple syrup & cayenne pepper water clinks to all!~☆~(my fasting drink!)
JTK, you are doing great with a very challenging situation! Way to go! ~☆~Congratulations!~☆~
Tatoulia, the letter has taken me 3 years to write, basically cuz even tho she kinda should be apologizing to me, for stealing money from me, as well as her husband imbezzling from our parents, etc. After 25 years of not speaking to me, she now says i picked on her when we were kids. I couldnt remember it for quite some time until a series of strange dreams, showing me how angry of a child i was, then i could begin my letter. Its been an evolution of many things on my part. The stationary was kinda hard to find cuz people dont write so much now in our digital communication age.
The Master Cleanse is the Grandaddy of all fasts! Its pretty much the drink i mentioned above, but theres a salt water flush, too...i just cant bear to drink that stuff! Going into the fast & coming off of it is specific, too. I may not even do the 5 days tho cuz this workshop is coming up....
~♡~ LOVE TO ALL!!!~♡~
~ ☆ ~ ☆♡☆ ~ ☆ ~ ☆ ~ ☆♡☆ ~ ☆ ~ ☆♡☆ ~ ☆ ~

WAY TO GO!!! Tatoulia 😀

Hello Peeps 😀

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Great idea to rent a truck to get to the workshop and also make some dump runs.
Hope your "inside & out" cleanse goes well. 🙂
Has it taken 3 years to find the nice stationary or to write the letter?

Hi JTK 🙂
Please make sure that you all take regular breaks while doing this clean up.
Wear proper clothes & shoes.
Have plenty of water and/or other things to drink on hand.
Make sure you all eat regularly scheduled meals with some healthy snacks in between, like have some fruit available.
Set a quit time and stick to it. Pushing yourselves to exhaustion will make you all miserable, grouchy and accident prone.
Try to quit while you are still feeling alright.
When you come across an item that you are having a very hard time dealing with, leave it sit and move onto something easier, come back to the hard decision later, maybe after taking a break.
Having a good cry is acceptable and very cleansing of the soul.
Afterward, wash your face and know that you will be alright. (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
So happy you had a lovely day today. 😀
Yes, Stevie Wonder is such a good motivator. My "go-to" guy is Bob Marley. LOL 😀

Went into town today.
Wanted some fruit. Got bananas, pears, oranges and cherry tomatoes.
Also bought a solar powered garden light thingie with pretty little red flowers.
Took a nap on the couch with a kitty.
Ate spaghetti.
It was a good day. 🙂

Dishes done. Cleaned one counter. Cleaned bathroom sink, vanity, toilet, mirror. Changed sheets. Going to jump in shower and jump in bed.

Anony I'm thrilled about your seminar coming up! Great idea to rent a truck and put it to good use! I'm interested in the details of your master cleanse. I fast 2 to three days a week and find myself looking more forward to my fast days than my eating days.

JTK I frequently have to tell myself that I've loved a certain object long enough. It is easier said when I'm donating rather than disposing. So I say, well I really loved this but I have loved it long enough, time for someone else to love it. If it's something broken or worn or ruined, I can modify to say, well I'm really glad I had this because I loved it. I hope this helps.

Tillie we had bright sunshine for a bit today. Brother was good to be with so that was nice. I took him to have a cup of coffee with my BF and I also had him stop in to see mom and to deliver a loaf of bread. I'll take mom shopping tmr. BF is working. I need to break out of my inertia and get some things done. I'll queue Stevie Wonder for support.

Tillie - that is a brilliant idea - I think it will make it possible for me to do this. Thank you so much and for the quick reply. We are leaving the Hotel where the insurance company have put us tommorrow (Sunday) and I am eager to start sorting things on Monday. Electric sockets on now just no lighting and drying equipment at our house for next few days. Skip ordered for Thursday xxx

~♡~Green tea clinks to all!~♡~
Tillie, i love what you said about sentimental items! Wow! ~☆♡☆~
Im doing a 5 day Master Cleanse, partly inspired by all yalls taking of fasting! Ive decided to clean my place, as my body is cleansing, so im going to focus on cleaning & see how that goes?
The full workshop for earthbag building is coming up & im gonna just rent a truck so i can go. Im excited! And i can do loads to the dump, too! YEA!!!
I may start copying my letter to my sister on the nice stationary i finally found. Its been a 3 year process. Itll be good to get this done & sent to her~
~☆♡☆~Happy Homeing, Homies!~☆♡☆~

Good Morning Everyone 🙂
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG! for a full bag off to donations! 😀
Wishing you a very pleasant day out today.
Yes, the powder blue makes it look like a nice piece of furniture and not like an old child's toy.

Hi JTK 🙂
Glad you all will be working together on this.
Sentimental stuff is always the hardest.
Think about the memories and those times , places and people.
Know in your heart that releasing those items will not erase your memories.
Having too many sentimental items bogs us down in the past and keeps us from experiencing all the good that our futures hold for us.
As you release items, think about the wonderful fresh clean future you are moving toward.
If you can, take pictures of some of the more difficult items to release.
Treasure your memories, not the items. (((HUGS)))

Dark cold cloudy rainy snowy day today.
It's only 7:45am. Still have no idea what I will do today, but it's early.
Cats tell me it's time for some canned food breakfast so I guess I'll start there. 😉

Hi everyone xx
Thank you for the great replies and ideas.
Yes my two boys are going to help me - the skip is coming on Thursday. They will do the lifting and moving. They will also do all items which belong to them.
I think it will be sad but I have no choice to throw the wet items. It is going to be more difficult to get rid of the not water damaged things. The bedroom was half full of all my hoard upto about waist height of sentimental things. I know this has to reduce significantly in order for new carpet to be laid when drying completed. I usually have to check every item that goes (probably my OCD) incase something important gets thrown. Do you have any motivational little sayings when you know you have to throw something but it is so hard? Thank you so much. Take care and wishing you all the best with your daily challenges xxx

Anony thank you for the birthday wishes! I do enjoy having a birthday but my goodness the number keeps going up and up.

Tillie picturing the cats is so cute. Like little dolls. I bet the powder blue is very cheerful!

Beautiful sunny day here. Getting out with brother. I will take my full bag to goodwill. Enjoying coffee with a purring cat next to me.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂

It does not sound strange at all.
In fact many people wish their stuff would be all swept away in a flood or the whole place would burn down.
This is because it would make the decision making a whole lot easier if the stuff was all ruined.
No more trying to decide to keep or sell/donate or recycle something into something else to use somehow.
If fate were to remove everything you would be free of it all instantly.
Doing all the hard work making a million little decisions all by yourself is very tiring and mentally challenging.
The only other way to get free of it all quickly is to hire a professional crew (Steri-Clean) to come in and do it for you.
But not everybody can afford it and many, many people are too afraid to allow help of any kind because they need to do all the handling and decision making themselves.
That's why we all are here on this message board.
To help each other with suggestions and just a whole lot of emotional support. (((HUGS)))

And YES! your home CAN be made into something very good. 😀

~☆~ Happy Belated Birthday, Tatoulia!!!~☆~
Welcome JTK! 😀 Good luck to you! ....i have almost fantasized about all my crap being ruined so i wouldnt have to deal with it on my own. I know that sounds strange, but i do believe this absolutely can be made into something very good!!!~☆♡☆~

Good Morning Everybody 🙂
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Thank you (((hugs)))
How very sweet of your twitter friend to send you flowers. 🙂
Yes, our poor Anonymoniker. So many different creatures enjoy her home. 😉

The next storm is beginning to brew. Supposed to be here tomorrow only, so not a very big storm.
Yesterday I felt like painting.
A while back I bought an old heavy wooden handmade doll cradle to use as a cat bed.
Always intending to repaint it but Marty liked sleeping in it so I didn't bother.
In Steven's huge stash of paint was a powder blue satin gloss that I had used to paint the hallway and there was just a little bit left, enough for this project.
Now he has one less can of paint out there.
I wonder now if another cat will start sleeping in the cradle?
It's not like it's the only doll bed in here.
My big orange tabby boy always sleeps in the doll crib or his apple box and Poohkie sleeps in the bottom bed of the doll bunk bed.
Twinkles, the largest cat, likes to sleep in the little quilted foam cube. Squeezes himself in there. HaHa 🙂
Scooter sleeps everywhere.
But at night all the cats sleep in our beds with us.

Tillie--that is exciting news about the show! I am so sorry about your depression. I know what it's like as it starts to settle in. I am so sorry about this. I know you'd never let anything regarding the cats go--you are good and warm and loving. It's okay if you need to take a break. You need to be kind to yourself.

Anony! I'm sorry that I didn't understand the cow situation--NOW I get it. God bless you! I love, love, love your idea for painting your house! I can picture it!

JTK I'm so glad to meet you and I am glad you are here. You have a lot of grief and sadness and I so admire your strength. Please come here for support. Since you've done some reading here, you know that we are a supportive group. We wil be here for you. I'm so glad you've posted.

I worked from home today and then BF and I celebrated the birthday! Thanks for the wishes, Tillie! I received a delivery of white and yellow flowers with very pretty greens including asparagus fern. Beautiful -- the epitome of sunshine and hope. They were unexpected--from someone I know solely on twitter. Very nice woman with a family and a son in the military. She got my info from my sister, who has met her in real life (I have not). Very unexpected and so joyous. My sister must have told her about my birthday as I hadn't mentioned it.

Everyone, I am thinking of you. We can do this. I know we can.

Hello JTK 🙂
So sorry to hear your are going through so much.
Are you able to get the two boys to help do the heavy lifting?
Once the skip is delivered perhaps you could just look at the items and ask your sons to carry the items to the skip.
Let them know that all this hard work is so that they will have a clean safe home where they can have all their friends in.

Good luck and best wishes. 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
That painted on French villa sounds very cute!
When I ended up with around 24 head of escaped dairy cattle standing on my front porch I just called the Sheriff and they came out and took care of it.
LOL ;P
Yes, I will be taking care of this care taker (((HUGS)))

ATTENTION!!!

So, if you or someone you know is interested please read his post in the
"TELEVISION SHOWS LOOKING FOR HOARDERS" thread on the main page of this message board. 🙂

URGENT ADVICE NEEDED - HOARDER AFTER BURST PIPE
I often read your message board for inspiration. I am a hoarder with OCD. We have just had a burst pipe in the loft - so much water damage of my things in bedrooms and living room. I need to turn this situation around for good. Insurance company already ripping up carpets - I had to leave them with a key and let them get on with it. I am going to hire a skip to go through things quickly and get rid of a lot of stuff. All sentermential- some stuff soaked and ruined. It was bad enough watching what was like a tropical storm through the ceiling going onto everything. From OCD therapy I know I attach emotional value to things.

I live in the UK. A mother, mid 40's of two boys 12 and 14 years. I am disabled - I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so difficulty moving and using my hands. A very difficult past year as my husband passed away last March of a Brain Tumour. I want to make a positive come out of this water damage and make it a nice home for the boys to invite their friends around. Please help - how am I going to cope with what I need to do emotionally. Thank you for listening xxx

~♡~Happy International Womens Day!!!~♡~
The cowgirl thing is me trying to get a small herd of cattle back out of one of my open gates. They seem to have found their way cuz i couldnt find them yesterday, but im gonna look again today. They dont seem very smart by looking at their tracks?!?
I have this almost fantasy idea for painting this hideous home im in. I remember a restaurant back in CA that had like a mural of a quaint french villa house, like weathered shutters, flower beds with flowers, grape vines, a few bricks showing through the old paint on the wall, etc.? Just painted on! It was soooo cute?!! 😀
Today, fill outer garden fence ditch, another cow search,more cleaning of bathroom shelf!
~♡~Tillie~♡~Please also take care of the caretaker?~♡~Ok?~♡~

Good Morning Everyone 🙂
"Clink!"

Hi Porter 🙂
Enjoyed the description of your home.
Happy Jackie has a window perch!
In my livingroom window I installed a larger window ledge for a cat perch.
It's a board as long as the ledge but a foot deep that I screwed onto the existing ledge.
Now the cats can easily sit or lay up there all day & night, 😉

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
So happy your van is back! 😀
Hope that random fuel smell straightens it's self out.
So nice you have your freedom again to come & go as needed. (((hugs)))

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
You are blessed to have that forest! 😀
Sorry your vehicle is acting up.
Hope all those creatures give you a break and respect your space. (((hugs)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! 😀
WAY TO GO! for easily walking down a clearer hallway!
Glad you now have enough PJs in the type you are most comfortable in.
Keep up the GREAT job you've been doing with daily maintenance and filling donation bags. (((hugs)))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
EEEWWW! Poor rooster! 🙁
That rubber flooring will make a good difference in the way your feet, legs & back feel.
Hope your work schedule gets easier soon. (((hugs)))

I need to do something.
There is plenty of "house" type work I could do but I donwanna do it.
Severe depression has set in. Understandable after all the months tending to Marty's needs & happiness.
Tried to escape it by painting in here & finding other distractions.
But there comes a time when we just gotta accept the fact that we need time off to process and grieve properly.
So, starting today, I am giving myself a break from "daily life as usual" without having any guilt about what I should or could be doing with my time.
But I will still scoop litter boxes/sweep, fill water and kibble bowls and give snacks at the regularly scheduled times.
Pet, scratch, brush and play as they ask for it.
🙂