Gorgeous day for a drive, and I had to take my x-rays for my follow-up appointment tomorrow. So I drove to Santa Clara, a few miles away, in my Miata with the top down. I even wore my special Miata hat.


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My husband and I just saw a two part episode of Oprah on hoarding, a repeat from 2007. In the episode the three adult children of a hoarder, Jodi, Steve and Rich, reached out to Oprah for help by making a video of their parent's 3000 square foot home. Their mother, Sharyn, was a compulsive shopper and hoarder (the worst combination) and their ( Read more... )

As this letter writer attests, it's not always as easy as reporting to an agency and getting a social worker. Not all situations fit agency criteria for that kind of help ( Read more... )

Salon's Since You Asked column published a letter today about a compulsive hoarder. I wrote the following letter:

Fighting my inner hoarder ( Read more... )

Squalor Survivors is a website for people who are dealing with or have relatives who are dealing with hoarding to the point of dysfunction. I grew up with a mother with this problem and I have pack rat tendencies myself, which I regularly battle with so I don't end up with a house like my Mom's. Moving has actually helped since it periodically has ( Read more... )