What My Muchness Can Be Fine With

 

I published a New Post at about Four in the Morning Today, but, feel like Blogging some more, so, I'm avoiding all that I should be doing.   And might just get it finished in time to give you a Two-Fer Post kinda day. *LOL*  Mostly coz when I took Princess T to School at 7:00 a.m., it was already rather Hot and so I thought, well, nothing is clearly going to get done in The RV Garage Mahal again Today... or the back Porch.   And tho' certainly I could do some Housework in the Dining Room Area, it would mean moving what's cluttering the Floors in there and doesn't belong, in to a non-climate controlled area too.  The Daughter had deep cleaned the Living Room, Kitchen and Bathrooms for preparation of when we had Weekend Company, so, they look immaculate.  *Whew*  Above is a Vintage Industrial Display Shelf I brought Home from the Old Showroom and put in The RV Garage Mahal.  Glad now it didn't Sell.  Slowly & surely getting that Space in Order.

She never knows what to do to declutter my stuff out of an area tho', since she knows the Anxiety it causes me to have anyone touching my stuff.  *LOL*  I don't even recognize how Anxious it makes me, I have to not actually be there or looking when they do it and then I'd be Fine.  *LOL*  Yes, I'm quite sure I'm a Level One Hoarder at least, all the Signs point to me being on the Spectrum of that Disorder.   I'm not to where I keep garbage or pose health dangers to myself or others.   And it's not as if I am opposed to Order, Cleanliness or Purging Excess on The Regular.  Mine is more a Beautiful Hoard of stuff, but, a Hoard nonetheless, I won't minimize that Fact.   And sometimes stuff is not where it should be as I'm figuring out what to do with it or place it.

I am prone to Clutter and I don't like Clutter and don't function optimally in it, so every once in a while I gird myself and Deal with it.  Then everything looks fantastic until I backslide again and Clutter it all up, which, is Chronic Behavior I can't seem to kick.   I know that Clutter can be a manifestation of Mental Health Issues, so, that explains it for me completely... tho' it's no excuse, it is at least an explanation.  *LOL*  I do have Adult ADHD, OCD and I am Bipolar... all are psychological causes of Clutter, so, whallah, explains it, doesn't tell me how to improve upon it and maintain a Clutter Free existence tho'.  *Le Sigh*  I am disciplining myself to Be Better about decluttering and maintaining it for longer periods of time.  I don't mind have a lot if it Looks Good, has Purpose, and is in Order. 

I've poured over causes, effects and such... Life Changes and Stressful Periods can Trigger the multiplication of Clutter.  Check and Check.  *Bwahahaha*   Things tend to pile up as you assume you will get Organized when things Calm or Settle Down... and then, they don't for prolonged periods, or at all, and here you now are, surrounded by it.  We've had Big Moves about every Five Years now for about the last Fifteen... didn't Help.   As I've Aged, getting re-settled and disposing of the Excess each Move, has been never ending it seems.  Of coarse now this is allegedly our Forever Home, so, I Fantasize that perhaps there will be a point of attaining the elusive Goal?  *Winks*

My Housekeeping Style is best described as: There appears to have been a Struggle.  *Bwahahaha*  I'm doing better, having the New Showroom so Organized and Curated has been Helpful for me here at Home actually.  I'm Donating more now than what I'm deciding to try to Sell or even Keep.  That gets rid of a lot quickly and makes me feel philanthropic.  *Smiles*  Then I have to Smile to myself Wondering what other Lost Causes are now Buying that Stuff for a Good Cause and justifying dragging it Home?  *LMAO*   The Circle of Life.  *Winks*  Seriously, once I was in a Charity Shop I Donate to frequently and ran into a Vendor Friend who had something in her Cart I'd Donated there.  

She was so Jazzed at showing me, look what I found!   And I'm Secretly thinking to myself, aw shit, I could have just given it to her for Free... but, that will be a Secret I'll take with me to the Grave, except for not identifying who she was in this Blog Post.  *Bwahahaha*   One person's discards is indeed another person's Treasure, that's for sure.  I was glad she was excited to Buy it, I couldn't spoil that Rush for her.  Knowing it will either now occupy her Space and not mine, or, be Sold at our Antique Mall to someone else who thinks they Need it or Loves it.  So, no real Downside for me, it found another Home, it's all Good.  *Smiles*  I got rid of it so I Win, The Charity Wins, the New Buyer thinks it's a Win, Right?  *LOL*

I did spend some of the Morning in The RV Garage Mahal, 'til about 9:30 a.m., when it got too Hot to keep going comfortably.  The Lead Pix in this Post is a large Metal Display I found Placement for in there and put some things on, so, now they too have Placement and are Visually pleasing to me.   Disorganized Clutter is what I can't function well in, Organized Clutter and Excess I'm perfectly Fine with in my Muchness.  *LOL*  Chaotic Environments, whether it's stuff or the People in it, are what throws me off and derails me on an Emotional/Mental level.   I can handle a Lot, more than most People can, so, anything that is A Lot is not necessarily troublesome to me if there's some semblance of Order and Structure to it.

People being Disorderly, to me is as disruptive to my Calm as a Disorderly Household of Stuff is.   I don't like being around Chaos of any kind and I do feel it's unnecessary.   Any Chaotic Situation can be put back in Order if you Desire Order.  The trouble being, some People thrive in and Create their own Chaos and perhaps that's their preferred State of Being?  I've known a lot of folks like that, if they don't have a Crisis, they'll Invent one or Create one intentionally... or at least Subconsciously and seem oblivious they're their own worse Obstacle to a Life of Calm and Being Centered and Balanced.   So, they're in perpetual Turmoil and Chaotic in all their ways.  I have to limit my exposure to that kind of Environment and Personality, it's not Healthy for me. 

Maintaining my Calm is my Main Priority, it HAS to be, for me to function optimally and have a Joy about Life and circumstances.   No matter what's transpiring, if I can Maintain my Calm, I always get thru it and virtually unscathed.   Disruptions happen, getting back to Center and a Balance makes all the difference tho'.   I see a lot of Imbalance in our World and some intense Chaos that is absolutely unnecessary and has been Created, perhaps Intentionally, by the People responsible for it.  They may be a distinct minority of the population, but they often cause most of the Problems and aren't Solution oriented or cooperative in Partnering with those who have actual Solutions.  When you're not part of the Solution, you are now part of the Problem.

Problematic People, how best to Deal with them in their State of Being that has Negative impacts upon others, is a big Social Issue.   Too often there is a total lack of accountability for the Problems they are causing and everyone else has to run damage control behind in their wake.  I don't know if it's them being Oblivious, in Denial, Ignorant of how to be part of actual Solutions, or, they Intentionally are Problem Creators and it's just what they do best?   Living Harmoniously with Problem People who tend to Create Negativity and lots of collateral damage in Society is a lot of Work for those of us who prefer Positive States of Being.  I think perhaps on the Inside most of those folks are quite troubled and have Tortured Souls, or even Evil tendencies and intentions, so, project it outwards and upon everyone else.  

We went back to The 99 Cent Only Store for some of their final days of business.  They got their last shipment of product in and it was the last chance to get it and discounted 10%-40% Off.   So, we stocked up on those things we use all the time and typically bought from there anyway.  Still so Sad to see that Company fold, always enjoyed shopping there over the Years.  If all of the Dollar Stores fold it will be hard to find necessities at a bargain now, so, I do Hope some of them stay solvent?  We also went to our Fav Vietnamese Restaurant for Dinner, which is next door to the Dollar Store.  They comped me my Meal, since last visit they had over spiced the Meal I ordered and I couldn't eat it, but paid for it anyway.  I had forgotten all about it, so, that was a nice Surprise.

I have reached out to The Son and given him some temporary Options with Conditions attached, we'll see what he thinks he can manage?  I want what is best for all involved, him included, and his Friend he's staying with temporarily did give some good suggestions I considered.  The Friend I've known all his Life too and he's like a Son from another Mother to me.  *LOL*  I know our Son's Diagnosis has no Cure, but he self-medicates with Alcohol still, and he can't do that with any measure of success.  He got Clean from Drugs, but, the Alcoholism has been a harder demon to attain sobriety from.   He has bottomed out while drinking lately, so, it's time to do something about it, only he can do that for himself and to maintain healthy relationships.  Nobody is their best Self when under the influence.

Anyway, every Adult, even those with significant Disabilities, has to Journey thru Life and sort things out for themselves, I can't do it for them.   Extreme Caregiving is hard any way you cut it, but, if the person in your Care has become dependent upon Medication or Alcohol, it complicates the situation all the more.  I despise addictive Western Pharma and Alcohol due to the damage it has caused to so many Human lives, while those who Market it profit handsomely off the Human Misery caused by their Products.   I'm one who is hesitant to even take an Aspirin for a Headache and I chose not to Drink.   A lot of the use of those types of things by others is a Trigger to me.

Anyway, The Daughter paid for she and her Dad to get their Hair done at our Friend John's Salon.   I included Pixs earlier in this Post of them after they got tidied up... I like both new Makeovers.   You can see all of us in the Background via the Mirror behind The Man.  We visited with John for quite some time after everyone was done, since we were his last Appointments of the Day.  He's been a Friend of ours and done the Hair of Three Generations of our Family.   He used to be in an 80's Rock Band and tho' he still has very long Hair, his Hair used to be past his Hips and was so thick and wavy.   He's Italian and Mexican Ancestry.  He said he just Lost his Beloved Family Pug Dog, that had belonged to his Dearly Departed Mom, the Dog was 19, so, a profound Loss.   The last of what he had of his Mom's.

John has Adopted many Stray Cats, he has a Big Beautiful Black Male Tomcat named Gordo that used to be Feral and now Loves People and is Tame and as Chill and well behaved as any Domestic Cat.   It took Years to develop that Trust, we've done it with Ferals that Adopted us too over the Years.  They may never be considered Pet Quality by Shelters, but, it can be accomplished with lots of Love and establishment of Trust between Humans and the Feral Animal.   Gordo seems to know John is grieving the Loss of his Mom's Old Dog and so he said Gordo has been like his Shadow ever since the Dog Died.  I think they sense a lot of our Emotions and it's their way of Ministering to their Humans.

 

As you can see I did spend some time in The Garage Mahal doing some pathological picture taking of what progress I have made over Time in there.   It's slow, but progressive and coming together nicely.  I feel more encouraged as segments of The Gauntlet it is, is cleared out and Order and Displays replace the Chaos and Clutter just unceremoniously dumped in there from when we Moved.   For long time Readers they know the Back Story, for New Readers, I had a single Day of Hired Help and so the end push to get out of the Villa and into here was hectic and everything got shoved in The RV Garage Mahal all helter skelter.  I just couldn't continue slowly putting it in there like I began, in an orderly fashion when it was costing me to Hire the Help on a Modest Moving Budget.  It was all a Self Move and Hired Help were Friends, Family and Co-Workers.

I had to choke down the OCD and just let them put things anywhere in there, and so, now here we are, over Five Years later, and much of it is still in disarray.   There was just a lot I brought over that I either didn't want to Sell Off before the Move, or wasn't sure if I could get Sold in time to not have to move it over.  I had the Warehouse sized Space available here, so, in the end I quit trying to Sell with a sense of Urgency and just put it in Paid Storage temporarily, then move it over here once we had possession of the Property.  I don't regret having kept so much and not Sold it below Value just to Purge quickly and hastily divest myself of it all.   Now I can wade thru it at my leisure and make less impulsive decisions about it.

There is a lot that won't ever fit in the Main House, which is half the size of The McManse we moved from, and less Buildings than the Historic Home and Acreage had.   So, The Garage Mahal, when it's finished being Organized and Styled, will be my Fantasyscape to just enjoy my Stuff in it that we won't live with and around all the time in the Main House.  Slowly and as I need to Liquidate any of it to just have more discretionary Funds to supplement Retirement, I will.   Any that remains after I Cross Over, the Heirs can then profit off of as they Wish or distribute among themselves what they feel Sentimental or Nostalgic about Keeping and having Memories of.  Every item has a Memory and a Story for me, so, I enjoy being surrounded by it.

It seems random, but it's not, it's a Lifetime of Incurable Collecting and Adventures to Source it all.  Lots of Memories, People, Places and Experiences compose it all for me.   When I decide to Sell, I get to Keep the Memories and just Let Go of the Object.  You're not Buying my Memories, so, generally I'm going to ask whatever the Market bears for whatever it is.   So many things have increased in Value exponentially so go for much more than my mere Sentimental or Nostalgic Value.   I've never Sold any of it at a Loss, ever.  If you have a Good Eye and make your Money on the Buy, it becomes a solid Investment Vehicle for making a Profit on the Back End too.  I won't overpay for anything, I'm frugal and Negotiate my Best Deal for anything and everything I Buy.

I was talking to John when he was doing The Man and The Daughter's Makeovers, he's been a Vintage Specialty Toy Collector for a long time.  Now he's Downsizing his Collections and Selling on Mercari.   We discussed how much Profit can be had when you've Collected Wisely.  Since he was in a Rock Band, most of his Collectibles were either Music Related or Popular Movie Related.   He's doing very well Selling on Mercari and prefers it over how E-Bay handles Selling.   He's had far less problems with Buyers on Mercari too, and I know many E-Bay users quit Selling on account of problematic Buyers and how E-Bay handles disputes and unfair Negative Feedback from disgruntled Buyers or those who pretend there are Issues or are picky, even if you took every Care to describe any minuscule potential Issues with a Vintage or Antique Item.

John said his last Dealing with E-Bay, he'd Sold a Rock Related Toy Collectible that was New Old Stock from the very early 1970's.  Well, tho' never opened and in very good condition for it's Age, the Packaging had some minor Age related expected wear and tear.   He was careful to do close-ups of the slight wavy nature of the cellophane on the Cardboard Box's Packaging.   I mean, it is now 2024 and you can't expect something from the early 1970's to look like it was just Packaged, that's unreasonable as an expectation.  But, the Buyer made a Production of it and so John insisted it just be returned, he'd refund the purchase price, and not have to Deal with Negative Feedback and further Issues with a Buyer impossible to please.   

He was willing to Eat his Postage Costs as a concession to be finished with this Buyer.   It still became an Ordeal and E-Bay held up Funds too long and the Buyer blamed John, so, he just Quit Selling there.   I've bought off E-Bay for Years but never Sold anything Online, not interested to, since, I don't wanna Deal with Postage Costs or potential Buyer Issues from a Distance.   I only ever had one Negative Experience and that was due to a Seller not being forthright with the description and the Photos were misleading as well.   They very well may have just been ignorant about the Object, but, I doubt it.  Since, they had it described as an Antique Lourdes Religious Statue from France.  It turned out to be a Modern Plastic one and looked quite similar, a knock-off in fact, but clearly wasn't the one Photographed, to me it was a bait and switch.   They insisted it was the one pictured, which was Chalkware and Old with Glass Eyes, not Cheap Plastic.   Don't piss on my Leg and tell me it's Raining.

 

That Seller never made it Right with me and so I left Negative Feedback and reported them to E-Bay Moderators as a potentially fraudulent Seller.   You can't Photograph something Authentic, claim it's what you're Selling, price it accordingly, then substitute it with a Cheap knockoff and think a Buyer won't notice they've been Conned and gypped.   Anyway, I think I still have that Statue as a reminded to really check out every Buyer before Bidding or Buying their Merch Online.   Other than Auction sites, I have ordered from Online Companies that were fake Sellers and use Facebook to Advertise.  Even due diligence sometimes isn't enuf for the avoidance of a Swindler.  Some also use Photos of Well Known Designers Product and try to pass it off as their own Line, with ridiculously low Pricing to lure in Marks, I Report them immediately.

Sometimes you just have to accept the Irony of Online Scams.  I have seen fake Sellers try to List an Item from a Photo of something I have Shared on the Internet and Own.  It's not For Sale and they used the Image without my Permission to try to Scam a Buyer trying to Buy whatever it is.  I Report those Cons too, it's the only way to have the sites attempt to Ban unscrupulous sorts who are ripping people off intentionally.   And we've all heard about the Cons who pretend to be someone they aren't to Catfish people who want a Relationship, and exploit the whole fake Relationship they've established and then tried to milk Money out of the Victim whose now thinking they're in Love with a Real Person who also professes their Love.  There's some Countries that have whole Industries doing this Scam, it's so profitable.

I watched a Lisa Ling Documentary that infiltrated the Scam in those Countries and often the fake Lovers are also in Servitude and have been Human Trafficked.   So, it's Syndicated Crime Rings kidnapping people and then forcing them to commit these Online Scams on unsuspecting people in First World Countries looking for Love in all the Wrong places.  Most Victims are too embarrassed to admit they've been Catfished and Victimized, or, won't Believe their Beloved isn't who they thought it was and they were just a Mark for a Con Game.   Well, look at our Political Scene to see how 45 has exploited his Marks for Profit and you can see why and how it's so easy to get away with and virtually no consequences if the Victims refuse to even Believe they've been Victimized and Exploited.

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More Garage Mahal Imagery to come... Dawn... The Bohemian