Good day working yesterday. No work today and it is SUNNY and not much wind so had a great day. It was cold this morning so read medicare information and supplement information, feel good to better understand what I need to do to get good coverage. Finished cutting tops of trees that were blocking my view. I remembered that as a kid, one of my favorite things was climbing trees. So got off the ladder and cimbed the tree to finish cutting branches off. I sat up there and just enjoyed the tree and the view, now I realize there is lots of pitch on my backside, sticking to couch!! Organized stuff in the garage for a few hours. Worked in big bedroom for over an hour.
Finally got the old green toilet in small pieces and in the garbage can. Used a crow bar to pry the tank off, nuts were rusted, then screw broke, so just broke it off. I covered it with a huge sheet of paper and beat it to death, was fun, great stress release. Tried to pick up all little slivers to make sure didn't get injured on broken pieces. It was disgusting, glad it is gone to garbage cart home.
Tomorrow I am going to the Bend Fall Festival, usually have great arts and crafts. Was fun working here all day, knowing tomorrow is a fun outing.
Still not sleeping well.

I hope everyone gets the physical and emotional rest they need.

{{{hugs}}} to all

Good morning
Still have a stupid headache.
My ear hurts now & I have a tummy ache too.
Think I have caught a bug.
Laying low again today.
Have chicken noodle soup, crackers & ginger ale.
My eyes are sore. LOL

Stay well & TTYL 😉

Kind of sounds like everyone is a little depressed, myself included. What can we do to raise our spirits and make progress? I just took my meds.

Hugs

I spent 15m unloading the dishwasher and refilling a couple of water bottles. That doesn't seem like it should have taken that long. I also read another chapter of "Stuff". I don't seem to be making much progress on either general decluttering or in preventing the eviction.

Today was pretty much a down day for me. Today I just stayed at home and played with Cory, Matt, and Snuggles all day. They love having a backyard to play in now. 🙂

I had a late-night chat with a friend last night. She's convinced that the landlords really do want me out, so that they can re-rent at a higher rate; and that they don't really care about the clutter, and that they're just using it as a convenient excuse; and that I could force them to back down by fighting the eviction.

She also says that I'm not actually a hoarder, but "just a slob". (It's been at least a couple of years since she's seen my home.) It was a pretty frustrating conversation, and I ended up signing off to avoid any more grief and get some sleep. (She'll use that against me when I sign in again.)

I'm going to be in our own chat area today; join me there if you like.

Sounds good, Tillie. Me too.

I'm gonna go get some ice cream and eat a lot.

Good morning
Decided to take the day off from life.
Not going to do anything today.
Maybe tomorrow. ?

TTYL 🙂

Hi Tillie,

I can sympathize with your hoarder, too. The book "Stuff" used the term "anxiety avoidance", which must not be an official psych term since it seems to have no Web presence. On the plus side, if you can steer one of us into a new pattern that has better results, then we're more likely to stay in the new "rut" than revert to the old one.

Btw, try to avoid backing him into a corner -- always leave a way for him to do a graceful retreat that will preserve his ego. Otherwise he might feel that he has no choice but to fight you.

Hi Dianne,
Karl, those are good, logical thoughts untainted by fear or panic. I admire you so much!
Thanks -- I guess listing my options comes easy to me, just not acting on them.

What do you mean by *voluntarily homeless*? Staying with friends til you get settled in a new place? What would you do with your possessions?
It might be possible for me to rotate through several different friends or relatives, staying with each for just a few days to avoid wearing out my welcome. I could keep my possessions in a storage unit for a fraction of what I'm spending on rent.

Have you spoken to the landlords about any change of mind?
Not yet, but when I think about it, it seems to me that they'd probably want me to stay, if I finish decluttering and then maintain it adequately. But maybe that's wishful thinking -- I don't know.

another mostly cloudy day, enough already
did the dishes, cleaned off all the crap off the dryer
started sorting clothes next to bed, did pretty well
did 2 loads of laundry
then made a list of neglected tasks, like change oil in car, get tire with nail fixed, have to fill it with air every other day
long line at oil place so went on to tire place, 1 hour wait, then decided to skip both for today
went grocery shopping, looked for parts I need to fix dripping faucet, apparently have to take it apart to find correct size to buy.
My knee still hurts like heck, painful to walk, from tripping on plantar and falling on large rocks
Tried to make appt. with dermatologist to have growth cut off leg, no appt until the 29th so will call a different place tomorrow. Made 3 business calls to confirm things. Went through paperwork for clinics. Feel like I didn't get anything accomplished, thus, I wrote everything I did today so maybe I would be happy with what I did get done today, and quit criticizing myself for not getting car done. I think the clouds and rain are getting to me. Hopefully sun tomorrow. Dianne I can relate to all that you said.

😉

Tillie, it scares me to see that your husband and I share some of the same bad qualities.

Good morning 🙂

Internet was off line yesterday morning so I started doing all the little tasks on my To-Do list.
As usual in real life, other things came up that needed my attention.
So was running at full speed all day.
Fell into bed by 7pm totally exhausted.
It was a good day. 😀

Looks like everybody has a lot to do too.

Karl,
I did voluntary homelessness.
It was wonderful and very freeing.
Lived for a year in a camper shell on a truck.
Traveled around till we ran out of money.
Had put all my stuff into a storage locker, including my car.
Life was good. 😉

I think one of the biggest obstacles in my hoarder's thinking is that he prefers living in a rut.
Hates any kind of change, good or bad.
He will stay in his rut being miserable about everything rather than make any kind of change.
When I decluttered inside the house and painted he just hated hated hated it.
But it was so much nicer then. So much more relaxing and enjoyable to be in here.
He wears the same clothes till they are too ragged and ratty to be decent.
He will stay at a terrible work place till he gets fired & forced to leave.
He will continue to do the same things the same way even though he always gets the same bad results.
I like changes for the better and like working toward a goal to achieve these changes.
I feel that it is the "same old, same old" day after day, year after year, 24/7/365, that makes us grow old in our spirits.

Today will be minimum upkeep with daily chores. I really want to spend a big chunk of time cleaning all around my bed. The hallway to get to my bedroom still needs work but that's coming along. Laura got so much done in her room yesterday while I was riding around. She was able to throw out a lot of paper trash, college papers, magazines.

The new mattresses are coming next week. It's been much, much more change than I'm used to in the past few weeks around here. Even though it's all for the good I just don't do well with change. Last night I ate a whole pizza. That may have been a first.

Karl, those are good, logical thoughts untainted by fear or panic. I admire you so much!

Have you spoken to the landlords about any change of mind?

Roxie, decompression was exactly what I was thinking of too. I'm trying to give myself a day afterwards where I can huddle or take a long drive. Just not have to deal with people too much.

And good for you for getting back up from the backslide! Part of what's great about this group is that we are not only learning to clean our hoards but we are learning the life skills needed to cope with daily living. Some time to lick our wounds or tuck in and hide a bit and then instead of continuing a downward spiral we have the strength to pull up again. That's a whole lot better than where any of us were a year ago.

Thoughts so far:

• I need to find out what the rent is like in other homes in this area.
• I need to decide how I feel about staying here, vs finding another home in the area, vs moving to another part of the country, vs living a "voluntarily homeless" lifestyle.
• Since all options require me to complete the cleanup anyway, I should continue working on it.

Thanks Dianne,
Matt, Cory, and Snuggles are adjusting really well. They've actually always loved it at my boyfriend's house; even before I moved in. 🙂

Another strange array of sleep and wake hours, but here I am. Better today.

Congratulations, MayMay! Taking it to the next level is a big step. How are your fur babies adjusting to their new home?

Hi everyone! 😀

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately. 🙁

I just recently moved in with my boyfriend. So I've been super busy with packing all my stuff up from the apartment and moving it all to my boyfriend's house; and then unpacking all my stuff after I moved it there. 🙂

Sort of missing MayMay's fun posts. Anybody hear from her since she got back from her adventure/project in LA?

I needed a bit more sleep than I'd thought. I'm now awake and fed, and I'll probably be keeping an eye on the chat room all day, so feel free to join me there.

I'm holed up with the computer right now. The guys are working in the basement. I had to run out and buy a power strip/surge protector. I know there's one around here somewhere. Buying 2, 3, 4 times.......one of the bummers of hoarding.

Roxie, I don't know how you did it when the cleaning crew worked on your house for days at a time. Big high fives to you!!

Good morning Ya'll 😀

So nice to catch up with so many of you today! 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
He knows I want/need a new computer but he hasn't found one he likes yet at a price he is willing to pay.
When he does it should be a good one because he has several degrees in computer technology.
Before this laptop here, he always made me a computer out of pieces parts. LOL
Hope you feel better soon. Rest, drink lots of water and try to eat well. (((hugs)))

Hi Ali 🙂
OHIO like the state.
Only Handle It Once.

When I wonder what to do in situations I always think "what would Granma do?"
😉

Hi Dianne 🙂
YAAHOO!!! for getting good water pressure! 😀
I hate taking showers where it feels like you are just standing around in fog.
Plus good water pressure where you let the hot water hit your neck & shoulders & back really helps to relax the muscles and easy stiffness. 🙂

Have lots of plans for today but don't know what I will be able to accomplish.
Cats have been fed.
Want to get out there & hose down the outside walls, wash screens & windows and hose off the porches.
Waiting to see how well the ibuprofen works this morning.
If I can get this done today then I can just slide the rest of the week.

Happy Monday & keep posting! 😀

Ali, good to see you back on the boards. I miss a lot by not going to chat. Please post here more often. {{{hugs}}}

take good care {{{hugs}}}

Getting ready for another invasion.

I'm really looking forward to a shower with good pressure. My brother who passed away stayed with me when he was visiting years ago. Actually after the first night he preferred to stay in his RV in my driveway. He said taking a shower here was like having somebody piss on him. Tonight I'm gonna stand there for 10 minutes and let the whole bathroom steam up. 🙂

Karl, Just checking on to see if you might be around to meet in the chat room. I'll sign into chat & if you are around hope you will join me. You have inspired me because you are able to reach out to friends for help as well as have social events in your home. Most of us don't let anyone inside. Please take care of yourself & try to keep your spirits up. This is a chance for a brand new start in a new place. Also I hope you know how many people on these boards care about you. You have inspired us with more than Ice Cream.

Roxie- I call that feeling after over sleeping a "sleep hangover". My sleep patterns are messed up also. I can fall asleep instantly when sitting in a chair and purring cats in my lap are just like a sleeping pill. Then I get up and move to the bed & I'm wide awake.

Tillie - What were the initials you mentioned in Chat for only touching something once. OTIO ???? I am trying to TLT (Think Like Tillie) & ask myself WWTD ? (What Would TIllie Do) when I struggle with decisions.

And I feel like I am making a speech at an award show but I really do appreciate all the work you all are doing and all the support from you to inspire me to make my life better. We are always works in progress. Thank goodness for a chance at a Do Over. Please everyone, be kind to yourselves. "May your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself." (Jonathan Lockwood Huie)