Did anyone watch Oprah the last two days?

[isittoolate]

I am not an Oprah fan. I don't even like looking at her, but I saw what was coming on and had to watch. It was beyong belief!

It was about hoarding. A family videotaped their parents house and sent it in and

There was 75 tons of trash

For a rummage sale of good stuff, they rented a 10,000 sq.ft warehouse  and made $13,000

The house had mice nests, mold, fleas, rotting walls and floors, and the mold was infectious. The guy heading the cleanup was infected from foot to head.

It was the wife/mother who did all this buying, to replace her 'empty nest', but the kids ended up not coming back. No place to sit and just a tiny walkway from one room to another, but the 3 bedrooms upstairs (the 3 kids) were totally blocked.

It sure was a sight to see and took two days to cover what happened.

Izzy

[Overcomer]

Interesting.  I watched yesterday and forgot to watch today.  My ex mother in law was this way.  When I first net her we went to Arizona to her trailer.  Could barely walk down the halls.  When her mother died and she got an inheritance she bought a new trailer but kept the old one-it was a junk heap.  She just as well light a match to it!

[Bemused]

My N-mother used to hoard canned goods, like her mother before her. 

[changing]

Hi Izzy-

I don't have a TV to watch, but this certainly sounds interesting!

Love,

Changing

[Hopalong]

Hi Changing,

Because of my horrible time-wasting (I mean really extreme escapism, that feeds into the Room Problem), I'd love to know if you have no TV because you can't afford one, aren't interested, had one and decided to stop owning one, or (igggh) it was carted off by Bworm.

If in fact it's a choice, not to have a television in your life, I'd be grateful to hear your thought process on that.

I will be interested in any response you have, though. Your combination of radiant generosity toward others, your life priorities and your focus awe me. I wonder if a life with no television has something to do with your direct forward motion that I admire so much (and lack so egregiously).

Hope this made sense, and if I'm off on a pointless tangent, ignore me, I'm used to it! 

love,
Hops

[changing]

My Dear Hoppy-

I have been without a TV many times. We didn't have one when I was a little girl, and I have not had one during various other times. At this point, I had my furniture moved out in a panic after Bagworm brought the cops here. I had no cable anyway, so the thing didn't work. I have to conserve $$ with a divorce and law school, and cable seems like a silly way to use scarce funds ( i can recouop my house- fixing costs in the divorce, so I feel ok spending there).
I like quiet and love to read, so the TV thing feels right for me. I do love old movies, though...
As far as any redeeming qualities that you attribute to me, I can only say that you Hoppy have done so much for me, expecially in terms of support in getting rid of Bagworm and keeping safe. I got a big laugh when I read your "That'll do pig"- I didn't catch the literary reference at first due to my emotional state- I thought that you were saying that I (pig) had done enough!!!! I really cracked up when I realized that that message was not aimed at me!!!! Anyway, I try to emulate the wonderful people here, and it makes me happy.
You are a deep and visionary thinker as well as the village Wise Woman- maybe dust bunnies just don't inspire you. Perhaps you could splurge and have someone do your room once a week for you. Maybe get a rolltop desk with a lock on it, and put your papers, etc in there! Then the rest of the room can remain a serene haven, without bills screaming for your attention!
Whatever you do, please don't blame yourself because you have a life and a so-called Room Problem- you wear many hats every day, and I think you are awesome!

Love,

Changing

[lighter]

I don't laugh at anyone's hoarding problems.  Both sides of my family could be considered hoarders..... literally.  The Grandparents each had outbuildings and barns.... chicken coups in one instance, that they kept filling but.... it was hoarding. I think my H's and his family pretty much have hoarding tendencies as well.

My mother hoards.  We haven't been welcome in her home, the full one near us anyway, for years partly bc they're embarrassed and partly cause there's not enough room.

The lady who was trying to fill her empty nest but only managed to keep her children from visiting was very sad to read about for me. 

Self defeating behavior that just adds problems..... not good.

I tend to collect canned goods too.  I prefer to think of myself as a procrastinator, not a hoarder, ::nodding::

My failure to 'edit' more efficiently is the problem.....  I bet all future hoarders of the world say that, lol.

::thinking about cleaning out my pantry (of things that are about to expire) and making a drop at food bank:: 

[isittoolate]

Amongst all the things that were hoarded were brand new things never used, just in case, but she thought she would use them. Then they were buried, by things from the next shopping spree and each day something was added to the pile.

There were gifts for her family, wrapped but never sent

In one place, the guy in charge was with her when she found her Dad's wallet. She began to cry  (Boy! she cried a lot!!) and said she was going to keep that. Peter said to her, " You've gotten along without it all these years, so No, it goes", and he dumped it into the garbage bag.

WOW

It's strange how not long ago I started dumping things, that I thought were sentimental, but then realized they weren't.

My good chinaware is bugging me. It is packed in the same 3 boxes that I packed in 1998, which are in my bedroom closet. I have no idea what to do with 12 place settings of beautiful china. It really means nothing to me now.

TWELVE place settings. I could split it into 3 x 4 or 2 x 6--too much trouble. Think I will give it to S.H.A.R.E.. They will pick up and then the workers there can decide.

I gave my daughter my 12 place settings of good silverware, one Christmas.

Time to make another trip around, with a garbage bag.

Izzy

[Hopalong]

Thanks, guys.
Sometimes I'm inspired or educated by what I see.
Other times...it's company, someone yakking.
What I don't like is that I forget what I'm hearing, and so forth...so the stupid shows drone into my head too.

My room problem isn't hoarding. I barely shop, at all.

I'm
just
a
slob

But you're right CB, nailing it as usual. I'm not really dealing with stuff in a healthy way quite yet.

I am thinking calmly about steps to take. That's new for a weekend, for me.

I think throwing the party for Ma today was good for me, too. It felt good to have 20 happy people standing and sitting around and talking and laughing and enjoying each other so much. This is a Highly Accomplished neighborhood, docs and lawyers and such (plus us with our ratty unchanged since 1965 decor)...but they happen to be very nice people, too. I enjoyed bringing them together and several stopped to tell me what a treat it was to be together with our neighbors.

So I feel like going after my life.

Thank you for tackling this stupid topic with me!

xxoo
Hops

[Leah]

I think throwing the party for Ma today was good for me, too. It felt good to have 20 happy people standing and sitting around and talking and laughing and enjoying each other so much. This is a Highly Accomplished neighborhood, docs and lawyers and such (plus us with our ratty unchanged since 1965 decor)...but they happen to be very nice people, too. I enjoyed bringing them together and several stopped to tell me what a treat it was to be together with our neighbors.

So I feel like going after my life.

Go for it Hops 

You've nothing to lose and everything to gain

"It's a Wonderful Life" to just be!

Love, Leah