Hoarders

I have GOT to stop watching Hoarders on A&E.

It's like some terrible car accident and I can't stop rubbernecking as I drive past it. I am amazed that people can ignore such a mess for so long.

I think most of us have issues with keeping clutter under control and are guilty of piling up some place with junk, and then, instead of dealing with sorting through all that stuff, we just move on to some other place and start piling it up there.

A good example for me is the mail. I will let it pile up in the Mail basket, then do a meager sort into a rough grouping of to-be-filed piles, which will then sit in a heap on my desk for 3-6 months before I file it in the cabinet. My excuse for not filing is laziness; I just don't want to deal with it everyday-or every week-or every month. Then the pile becomes this huge chore that will take HOURS. I can't just file the first 10 items, as that seems like a waste of time. No, I say, it makes much better sense to just leave it until I have the time to file all the pile. However, at some point, I can't take it! I will spend the whole day sifting, sorting, filing,culling.

So, I get it. The only thing that separates me from these clinically diagnosed hoarders is my ability to NOT be able to ignore it as long as they can, and that's a very thin distinction.

I save things for three primary reasons:

1. fear of loss of information
2. crafts (Hey, I can use this [insert item name] to make something, one day!)
3. thrift (Wow, I should keep this to save money!)

Hoarding for fear of loss of information really took a backseat once I understood the value of the Internet. I figured out it was way easier to look it up on the web than sort through that mess of articles/newspapers, etc. My other reason for letting go of print media was that most of my stuff was out of date. Why in the world would I waste time brushing up on a topic only to be 5, 10, 20+ years out of the loop?

Reasons two and three are tougher for me to resolve. My parents were babes of the depression, and their generation (and those before them) did not grow up in a disposable, "Made in China" culture. They practiced reuse, recycle because they HAD to. So, the very thing that keeps me from ringing up my charge cards is also the reason for a bit of hoarding tendency.

I have started to cull a lot of the junk I had saved to 'do something with later'. The time frame varies, but after a while it gets on my nerves and I own up to myself that I am never going to get around to this task anytime soon, so why keep it! I can always start saving it again if I feel the need. It seems easier to part with items that have value only to me, versus parting with stuff that I assume others might covet as well.

I guess that last sentence is the dividing line between me and the true hoarder; I know the difference between trash and treasure.

If I can just keep up with letting go both the trash and the treasures, I will keep off the TV show!

my favorite float of the 2010 rose parade

It's not a very good image, but I loved this float best. It was just pretty to behold

Pasadena was great!

Somehow I managed to get DH to agree to go with me to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. I think he believes going on this trip will exonerate him for taking as many motorcycle trips in 2010 as he wants. I have to agree. I have gone on three big vacations in 2009, and we still have a cruise to look forward to in May.

The floats were gorgeous and we got to walk up close to them the day after the parade. Even on close scrutiny they still looked artificial due to their perfection. They use a lot of ground up strawflower, statice, onion seeds and rice, I can tell you that much.

It was hard to leave 70 degree weather and come back to the teens and 20's, that's for sure. At least it's better here than in Chicago, where we exited the aircraft onto the tarmac at a very chilly 17 degrees.

They are forecasting snow tomorrow. Not much, only a few inches (supposedly). Amy and Fi have only seen a dusting so far, so it will be interesting to watch their reaction to a blanket of snow. I predict they will have a grand old time in it.

I have been feeding the birds and have quite a few diners in the early morning. Of course, Fiona just HATES squirrels at the feeder, but I won't let her out to chase them until they have had a chance to fill up on seeds and corn. Then, once they have a full belly to keep them warm, I let her out to take a run at them. Poor Fi, she will never figure out that those furry intruders can hear the 'snick' of the door latch and are off and running before she can even clear the dog door.

Grandmummy called today to say that she wants her furry grandchildren back, as she can't get used to the quiet house now that they are back home with us. I told her to lay off taking so much cough medicine. They tore up the usual amount of stuffed animals and tracked in the maximum amount of mud onto the kitchen floor, but the worst stunt they pulled was sneaking a full can of soda from a carton to 'play' with. One of them (I know it was Fiona, she's the only one with enough jaw strength) then proceeded to puncture it and spray sticky cola all over the floor.

Only my mother would miss the chaos that those two 1-year olds' create.

Took a stroll in the garden today while I played ball with the girls and noticed that all the beds are in a deep sleep. Funny, just a week ago, the foliage was still hanging on, obscuring the ground in most places. Now, I can see the contour of the beds and, I hate to admit, all the little winter weeds that germinated since I last weeded in the fall.

Oooh, the best part of January just appeared-say it with me-Seed Catalogs! Now I can curl up on the couch with my books and dream of all the stuff I want, even though I haven't the room to put out 1/3 of what I am salivating over growing.

Guess I should get off here and work on my knitting project for an hour or so, then it's off to bed to dream of onions, and leeks and turnips, Oh My!

Happy 2010, world wide web