A stone I came across on my walk the other morning and such a good motto I had to share.
I sorted through three drawers in the bathroom the other day. I ended up with almost half a bag of rubbish! I am not sure why I was keeping things. I shall have to make sure to go through the drawers a little more often than I have been.
MIL and I were over at Jane's again today. It's definately a hoard. It's not easy to say. There was so much more to Jane than her hoarded house, but it's a lot to deal with. I've watched Hoarders on television and so many times the houses are dirty and the hoard is...well, icky. Jane's house isn't like that. There is no hoarded food and dirty dishes. A lot of it is in large plastic storage bins. It almost seems as though she set an empty box down, put things in it (inserts from newspapers, junk mail, notes, lists, magazines) and when it was full instead of sorting through it, she put a lid on it and put it in a room. Yes, there are a lot of things on the floor, but what we have got to mostly is paper. She loved her paper.
But as I said there is was so much more to Jane than her hoard. She has some beautiful things in her house. Please forgive my lousy phone photos (I want to go back with my camera and document more) but I wanted to share more than just my frustration with what we have to clear through. I wish others could have seen her lovely displays. There were obviously lots of things she treasured.
It seems so recent yet so long ago. Just a year ago and they were still both so vibrant. How quickly things can change!
Fantastic cross stitch - she sounds a very gifted lady, one way and another.
ReplyDeleteSending more love - it's a hard time.
xx
Thank you.
DeleteI like the saying on that stone! Occasionally, however, it's nice to look back, just to see where you've been! :)
ReplyDeleteDecluttering is hard, so you did well to go through 3 drawers and pull out half a bag of stuff to declutter.
It sounds like Jane boxed up stuff to go through later and never had time to do so. It sounds like she became overwhelmed at some point and didn't or couldn't ask for help. I'm guilty of boxing things up to deal with later, myself. It's a very bad habit!
You are right! For some things it is good to look back.
DeleteI think that is exactly what she did and just got overwhelmed.
I do like the lighthouse display and can see why she treasured them. Lighthouses hold a fascination for me too. Have you estimated how long it will take you to clear her home?
ReplyDeleteShe certainly got me interested in going to see them and learn more about them.
DeleteI think - realistically - it's going to take at least six months. There is just so much paper to go through. It is quite a good size home - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a full basement. All of it is quite full too. We were unable to get far into two of the bedrooms, but have managed to clear a path. It's just hard going.
I like that saying too! I am going to steal your words for my presentation, "she was more than the hoard" boy that's a good one! I do the same thing, I hate to tell you. I keep a pile of mail, truly could be thrown or recycled, then I put it on a different area to clean off the table, then, I put it in a box or something because it's too much to "deal with" that probably was her issue too. Also, many people with the "hoarding" gene are very creative...I love her lighthouse wall! I wish I lived closer, sorting other's treasures is so much fun.
ReplyDeleteThat saying on the stone is cute and made me smile. All those lighthouses too.
ReplyDelete