I am currently visiting family in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our Internet access is quite "simplified" here, so please bear with me for a few days if I can't post.
I heard a wonderful true account yesterday of a family who went through a lot to simplify. If they can do it, we certainly can. An older couple years back had built a "cabin" over top an Airstream travel trailer. They were close to 90 and, after not visiting the cabin for three years, decided to sell it for a song. The family who bought it went in to find three year old food in the unplugged refrigerator, stacks of books under the beds, furniture, and on shelves, mice nests throughout the bedding, mouse droppings 1/2 inch high and rotted insulation in the rafters along with this lady's yarn mice had dragged into the attic, etc., etc. Old mattresses were stored in the basement and were rotting and moldy. It turned my stomach to hear of it.
They rolled up their sleeves and got to work hauling the clutter and trash out. At $60 per ton to deposit bulk trash in the area dump, the man paid $600! That's how much he hauled out. They took apart the metal trailer, disposed of that, and then my builder dad helped finish up the inside.
It is lovely now. I doubt that any of us have a situation like that in our homes. If those people can clean out four foot high stacks of clothing, use a shop vac to vacuum up mice droppings, and haul out moldy mattresses, can't we clean out an attic or closet? I was very motivated hearing their story!
Great story! That family really worked hard to clean out the clutter and trash.
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