Well, a picture of Ratty's nose, I should say.
I suppose there hasn't really been anything to report recently. We haven't done much with the cleaning up the yard project, well, except for various yard work of the clearing-brush-and-picking-up-sticks variety, which as far as I'm concerned is perfectly normal stuff and not really worth reporting because it isn't hoard-related.
And while the inside of some buildings are still pretty full and will need to be gone through and cleaned up, the outside spaces are mostly good. There are some stubborn spots that we've been procrastinating about, it's true, like the back side of the shed and the junk around the big rock by the shop. We've lost a bit of steam I guess, but you know, this whole hoard thing is really very tiring. There have been other things to do, like acquire poison ivy while weeding the garden or yell Why is no one kissing Jane??? at the TV while bingeing on Mentalist reruns.
There was an iron run waaaay back in (goodness!) September, hang on let me scare up those pictures that've been sitting on my desktop since forever:
Unfortunately I seem to have lost the receipts for that trip, but it was pretty much average, with some precious metals thrown in (shown in the bottom picture). Maybe there was a bit of aluminum in there? Who can even tell anymore? Not me.
We also haven't done any Volkswagen shows, mainly because the super local one in the early spring had both the date and the location swapped so it was both quite a bit further away and on a weekend we had a conflict. For some reason there don't seem to be any other local ones until the one in October, which is kind of a shame because I for one could use the cash.
So, today's iron run wasn't anything spectacular (they rarely are, to be honest); Tara did manage to scare up some stuff from the inside of the shop in her brief foray in there. Hopefully that means that's next on the list. Though personally I'd like to see the garage cleaned out so I can convert it into a wood shop. There's lots of natural light in there, though there may not be electricity out there. I have it in my head that there was, once (after all my father used it as a working garage, well, until he filled it up and built himself the shop) but it was removed, I've no idea why. Right now the lights in there are run off extension cords.
The Bus went and did not quit on us, which I suppose sounds pretty unspectacular but believe me that should not be taken for granted; when we got to the scrapyard it was rather busy and we had to wait for a very large truck to get out of the way.
Today's load was rather on the light side, which is fine, but we were rather disappointed to find it netted us very little cash, because apparently the price of iron is quite low right now, barely enough for our usual stop at the burger joint. Oh well. The stuff is gone, and that's a good thing.
So today's total was 480 pounds; I don't know what the September load was (since I've misplaced the receipts) but I'm going to guess it was about the same, so I'll say another 480 pounds. So those together gets us to 46,440 pounds of iron removed from the property (that's 23.22 tons), and the sixty-first trip to the scrapyard.
Oof.
25 comments:
So glad to hear from you again - you have inspired me so very much, fighting your hoard battle. And the picture of Ratty's nose was so cute!
So glad for the update! I am always impressed with your iron loads, but there has to be a letdown both in how big they are and how much impact they seem to make, since you've made so much progress. The more normal the place gets, the less mental push there must be to keep going.
I got myself a dumpster for my birthday last fall and it was the best thing ever - but our entire 10 year accumulation of construction debris & scrap metal was basically just the one small dumpster. Still I think of how much future work I'm saving us (plus the everyday "now i can walk around in the garage" effect). It's a low bar but I'm determined not to leave anything like the mess your dad left you to my own kid.
I am so glad that you decided to post again. I had almost given up on seeing any updates. Reading what you two have accomplished always gives me a lift and makes me want to face "the challenges" that keep staring me in the face every day.
Ratty's picture was great!
Message from: Another Anonymous Person Who is Surrounded by Someone Else's Clutter
I luv Ratty
cute kitty pic....best I only see cats that way....A CHOO!!
so glad to see the post. Every little bit helps and to create a wood shop....my dad's dream....
as for me...I want scrapbooking and sewing space. I seem to be making lots of quilt tops
but not the actual 3 layering "quilt" process....
oh well.....you are back....a more often, please....missed reading about your exploits....just enough sarcasm mixed with the reality of it all!!
a faithful reader from the northwest suburbs of chicago
Glad to see you're progressing. I'm now dealing mot with my father's mess, but with the mess I've been generating. It's always a struggle. isn't it?
Lead on, my dears!
Glad you are back posting and keeping on with the clean-up. You really do inspire people to work away at seemingly impossible tasks, little by little.
I've been stealing/tributing/echoing one of your lines when I post on Facebook. I'm losing weight -- to me, as insurmountable a task as clearing a hoard. I've lost a lot -- 85-ish pounds. But as good as that sounds, it's only taken me from "super obese" to "morbidly obese." I've got far to go. So I always think of you when I post about my weight, and add "Yes, there's still more. Much more."
I came here planning to leave a message on your last post, to ask if you two were OK, so I was surprised and happy to see a new post! Getting the worst of the hoard out of your yard & home is no mean accomplishment. Of course there's always more. I've been downsizing and had to stop myself from buying stuff I don't need just this morning at Target, where I went to get dog food. I really, really don't want to accumulate any more stuff. Your blog, and getting to "know" you and Tara, are what keeps me on an even keel.
I hope you do get that garage cleaned out so you have your woodshop. I know you'll enjoy it.
I found your blog not long ago, and starting reading from the beginning. Finally caught up! You ladies are amazing. You've taken a horrible situation and are fighting to make it better, and I don't just mean the horde itself! Your kindness to animals is also wonderful to see. I believe that you can tell a great deal about a person's character by how they treat the innocent and vulnerable. Animals are both. Kudos to you both, and good luck with the rest of the job. You will get to an end someday.
I just found about your blog while reading a hoarding thread on Mr Money Mustache and I went back to the beginning to read all the posts in order. You and Tara are amazing! Reading about your persevering efforts inspired me to get off the computer, go outside and haul away some piles of weeds and tree clippings today.
Both of my divorced parents are hoarders, though my mom is tidy about it and calls herself a collector, my dad is the dysfunctional kind, with rooms and a hallway blocked off, due to piles of stuff. He also neglects fixing things, so the shower wall has a hole in it where the tiles and plaster have come loose, and he's never repaired his roof in over 30 years. It was leaking in several spots until we repaired it for him recently. He, like your dad, is also a car and parts hoarder, and has multiple outbuildings for his hoard. The thought of my parents passing away and leaving me with all that mess to contend with just scares me. For my part, I've been decluttering like crazy and have sold or donated most of my keepsakes. I can only control my own behavior, you know? (sigh)
Just thought I would pop in to see how things are going. Glad to see you are making progress even if it is little steps. Keep it up. pam
Having read at least one other hoarding blog that ended badly, I still check in here from time to time. Having tangentially dealt with a hoarder via my SIL's father, I know how exhausting it can be, never mind wanting to have a life beyond the Hoard. I can understand not wanting to maintain the blog anymore, too. But if that is your decision, could you please consider doing a final sign-off and letting folks know? Your posts are missed, but I suspect the lurkers here--like myself--would like some assurance all is well (even if we don't have the right).
hi....where have you been? I miss your posts.....let us out here in lurker land know what is new....
your fan from chicagoland
Hope you are doing ok. Your posts have been a tremendous help to me over the years. Give us an update if you're up to it - we miss you!
Just remembered your blog and thought I'd check up on you. I miss your blog posts. I hope all is well.
I miss your blogging and hope you and your sister are doing well.
it's been a year since I posted a request for an update....
PLEASE let us know how you two are doing....and the cats!!!
a reader from the Chicago area
Goodness, it has been a while. There hasn't been much to report, that's why we haven't written anything. Tara's got her own house and has been working on that, plus the price of iron dropped precipitously for some reason last year (and is still pretty low), and while that wasn't all that much money it's hard to get enthused for all that shlepping for not much of a reward. Plus the main VW show we go to was rained out last year, and I think the other one moved? Not much to report, like I said. But Ratty's fine (though he coughed up a hairball earlier, thanks) as are the other cats. Glad to know you all care, though. :) Thank you.
How are things going? I think of you occasionally and really hope you are making progress and that things are going welll. Take care.
It's January 2019. I had bookmarked this blog and visit periodically to see if there are any more updates. I'm a great admirer of how you two have tackled your father's massive hoard. I find it inspiring! I hope the lack of updates means you are finished cleaning up the house and yard! In any case I hope you and your kitties are doing well. Happy new year! ~Cherry
Yes, a lot of people care, and check back.
& sometimes we feel like the whole country is now in a situation that you've overcome (mostly).
Although...
I am glad to see your 2017 message up there. Good for both of you, and the quadrupeds.
Yes, we do check back periodically. Hope things are going well. Please post a brief update - even if there isn't all that much to report. You got a whole bunch of people interested in your blog, and everyone wants to know "what happened next".
We're fine now. I was sick with one thing or another starting last summer, but okay now. Tara's fine and attending to her own house (Tara's energy is really what fuels the clean-up, and if she's got other things to do not much here gets done.) Our mother has had a bit of a decline; she's now in a nursing home, and I've been busy sorting things out here and concentrating on work stuff. We did get the shed painted, and we went to a car show last week. Oh, also Smudge died; she was hit by a car. I cried and cried, and planted daffodils on her grave. She was such a good little kitty, and the friendliest of the outside grrls. (She was Ratty, Danny, and Momo's mother.) Since then I've been courting Splotch, the only one of the three mommy-cats left, and she'll come up to me for pats now. She has a very loud purr. I hope to get her into the house for over the winter. She'd be with her family, and above all, safe.
Oh and Ratty's quite fine, though I had to train him to see the Little Red Dot, because he didn't quite have enough brain cells to put it together himself. Really, all the other cats instantly went crazy chasing it, and Ratty just sat there, not seeing it at all. But I helped him get the hang of it, and now he chases it like a normal cat.
Not the brightest of bulbs, my Ratty.
Someone here said, long ago, 'nothing so lovey or dumb as a bottle-fed cat' and that has proved most prophetic.
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