PRACTICAL PARSIMONY: Hoarding and Life and Death

Monday, July 18, 2011

Hoarding and Life and Death

The way it is now: a little pause for me
My son, his wife, and their daughter and son will be visiting me from Texas. They will be here Wednesday only. Of course, I am overjoyed, but I am also too overworked, hurting, and lacking in funds to feel comfortable with the visit even though I am overjoyed. Please don't tell me none of that matters!

Hoarding
There are so many conditions that can be attributed to hoarding. Lack of a social life, lack of family support, even your health. Maybe you have someone in your life that hoards. Maybe not. But, loss of life is a great probability. I miss my friend who died in 2001. We were platonic friends. He was so funny, helpful, and infuriating. You can learn how hoarding literally killed my best friend.

When I return on Wednesday night, I will have pictures of the cutest grandchildren on the face of the earth...lol

6 comments:

LindaMJuly 19, 2011 at 6:35 AM
Hi Linda
It does matter. I know you can't take it easy but if you can get some rest while they are visiting, that will make the visit even more special than it is.
Very sorry about your best friend. Very sad life.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2011 at 8:35 AM
I am someone who is easily overwhelmed and stressed out. I am getting the same vibe from you. I have no advice but I feel your pain and will be thinking about you.
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LindaJuly 19, 2011 at 1:10 PM
Anon, Not usually. Friend who is here today to help me just stands and looks at me, puts things in wrong place...stressing me more. I asked him to sweep bathroom prior to my mopping. He is tired of carrying and knows I cannot. 30 min later he is still there...doing what? He is trying to sabotage me. With the fibro, yes, easily overwhelmed when things like this happen. When all is going according to plan...but no, must baby him right now. He came because I am incapable of doing all this now. Aaaack... Thanks.
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LindaJuly 19, 2011 at 11:49 PM
Okay, the friend finally got a move on. For a while he just stood and watched me...??? He did so much that I am so grateful. He stayed from 9 am to 10 pm. Sooo grateful! I have all my earthly possessions in three rooms, so this is hard, trying to get it all organized. NO, I am not a hoarder. I ask exbf all the time. He says, of course not. Remember, I having lots of sewing equipment. I needed to sort as I got things up, but no, I had to just get it up and out of here! Going to bed.
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LorieJuly 20, 2011 at 8:23 AM
Hope you enjoy a wonderful time with your family. I know all the other things do matter but I hope you will be able to put them aside for a little while during your visit.

When you have a moment to sit and think, I would like you to consider allowing me to link your "hoarding" post to my business website. I have a cleaning/ organization business and I specialize in helping hoarders. The website is: www.homemakerforhire.com Please feel free to contact me by email if you would like to discuss this further...or for any reason.

Hoarders struggle so much with taking the first step. I think your story might help motivate some.

Nearly all the hoarders I know and/or have worked with are highly educated people and perfectionists. They are caring people who need to be reminded of their worth.

So sorry about your friend.

Hugs
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LindaJuly 20, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Taking a break here. I don't have time right now to go to your site, but I will tomorrow. I think I have had a closeup look and insight to hoarders, at least his type of hoarding. He was brilliant!
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Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.

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The Cast

Fancy is my favorite hen. She is one of the three youngest hens I adopted. Because she is so gentle and friendly, she may be the one I rescued when she was being pecked to death after she could no longer stand. She got to live in the house in a box. Sometimes, I let her sit in my lap while she was convalescing. Now, she comes to sit in the swing with me, cuddling up to my body like a cat or dog. She died in February 2012.

Fancy follows me begging, complaining, needing me to do for her. She talks to me in various voices. She allows me to pick her up and carry her. When she became an adult, her head was a darker red and her body was light brown. Around her neck were tips of black feathers. It appeared she had a necklace of jet around her neck. When I showed this characteristic to a friend, he said, "Oh, you have fancy chickens and plain chickens."

Chessie has a broken toe. I broke it! She had a habit of jumping really high and almost sticking. A raccoon ate her in October 2009.

Thelma is the blonde. She is also the largest hen and the alpha hen. I suspect the gigantic eggs are from her. She often squats and presents herself to me. She is top hen, but I suspect she knows she had better be deferent to top feeder of the flock--me.

Louise is the auburn-feathered hen. She looks like the true Rhode Island Reds in pictures. She is almost as large as Thelma. Some days I suspect she is trying to be top chicken. When I got Pepper, I found out Louise is the Alpha hen.

Pepper came here from the same home as the first four. We were discussing putting red pepper on their food, wondering if it really would increase egg production. Pepper is the only name we agreed on. She is terrorized each day by Louise. Even after the worst was over, she was and is still filled with terror and very wary.

Linda is owned by four hens. They allow her to fetch for them. She loves them dearly, so she allows them to boss her around. Linda comes out in the rain to perform chores for them and make sure they have food and water. She begs scraps from all sorts of places to make sure they have fresh fruits and vegetables.

Parsimony is not a vegetable

Parsimony is extreme care in spending money. Stick around and learn about my random thoughts on accomplishing goals economically--dumpster diving aka safari, gleaning, do-it-yourself, sewing tips, recipes, and whatever is happening in my life.

Okay so maybe "parsimony" is not your thing. How about thrift, frugality or just plain saving money? I try not to go the tightwad route as that seems to imply others will suffer from my habits.

Some of my not-spending habits have very much been a part of my lifelong habits. Other habits are newly acquired and are an extension of my lifelong not-spending habits.

I am very imaginative when it comes to substituting or making instead of buying. I will tell you about making a heater for the chickens' water. Not one dime was spent since I had everything I needed right in my basement.

Practicality must rear its head alongside parsimony. For example, I will use the dryer in bad weather or because of allergies in the spring. But, I will not wash clothes in a tub as long as I have a washing machine or can find one.

You may hear more about my four Rhode Island Red hens than you care to hear. They lay delicious brown eggs.

Contact Me

Monday, July 18, 2011

Hoarding and Life and Death

6 comments: