Even in my life as a clutter coach, I never assume my efforts will last. Sometimes people improve/change their habits, but mostly it is an exercise in maintaining momentary order. This kind of habit is just such a tough nut to crack.

Yesterday, a good friend asked me to help bring order to a couple of places in her house. She sheepishly inquired about how 'bad' it was. I nearly laughed. At least her house does not have rat shit, dirt so thick you can't read book covers, broken glass strewn about, piles so high pets are in danger of avalanche related deaths. Yeah, her house is the picture of tidy in comparisons to some I've clutter cleared.

Sad thing is, sister keeps wanting me to fix up her mess. Of course, somehow I'm supposed to do that without throwing anything away, disturbing anything, or pissing her off.

Her poor long-suffering roommate thinks it's a territorial sort of thing. I think it's a manifestation of her troubled soul. I'll participate during special projects, like party preparation.

I go home from her crap-pile and admire how wonderful my floor looks, all bare and open and not covered with stuff.

I'm supposed to do that without throwing anything away, disturbing anything, or pissing her off.

Oh, this is like me trying to clean up our house. It seems like most of the clutter I can't actually throw away or move because it's my wife's.

At least her house does not have rat shit, dirt so thick you can't read book covers, broken glass strewn about, piles so high pets are in danger of avalanche related deaths.

Hmm. The Boy's house:

rat shit -- no (also no other shit, pet-produced or otherwise)
book covers -- quite readable
broken glass -- no
high piles -- well, some, but he's an engineer, so they're structurally sound

Actually, Beej, that made me feel better. Seriously.

Perhaps the next gift to ummmfriend should be a roomba?

With 2 dogs and 3 cats, I think it would need to be the Dyson vaccuum, which I hear is fabulous for pet-related suckmonstering. (Plus, the animals would gang up on a Roomba and have it dismantled in under 3 minutes. Or, alternatively, the Siamese would hop on it while it was cleaning, and ride it around like it was her royal carriage.)

Since The Boy is an engineer, perhaps he can make the Dyson robotic so it can run automatically on a schedule without him having to remember. Okay, yes, it's a fantasy solution.

I hope it won't scare Fay but my first meal of the day is a Niman Ranch Fearless Frank.

I'm glad you got good news, Maria!

Or, alternatively, the Siamese would hop on it while it was cleaning, and ride it around like it was her royal carriage.

Might be worth it just for the visual.

I hope you can get the sleep/allergy/work/boy issues resolved in a satisfying manner soon, Steph.

Yes! Congratulations on the good medical news, Maria!

Also with the wist, a little bit. I had an attendant with ADD for a while...there were times that I was like "Are you with me here?" kind of a lot. Sometimes she appreciates and sometimes it's like "I got it the first three times. Damn." {{Hugs Fay, but only a little bit cause I'm not a squishy granola American, despite my best efforts}}} In a somewhat related topic, the woman whom I once considered my role model and whom I've known for twelve years has *changed her name*. To her spiritual name. Dude. Why not just take out an ad? "I hate my parents!" It is weird calling someone something that means "amen" in Sanskrit for a dumb white girl from Glendale. Especially since her old name, like my mom's, was sort of a boomer signifier name like "Karen" or "Cheryl" and therefore comfortable for me to use...although in the abstract, I get that that is not the full point of a name, that it's about Identity and if she wants to call herself Tangerine Kumquat it's none of mine, but that would last until I had to address e-mail to Tangerine Kumquat, you know?

I hear that customizing Roombas is popular with the robotics crowd because it offers a stable base and workable electronics to tap into.

How to pacify an angry clutterer when you have touched their stuff: Calmly point out that This is now There with That, which maximizes efficiency and makes room for more. Point out that everything you threw out fits into a grocery bag, which they are welcome to sort through. While they are distracted with this, sneak other crap off the scene. They will never notice what you have disappeared on the sly, but they will salvage something from the decoy garbage and triumphantly wave it in your face in order to mock you for having discarded something needed.