Original poster here

I've been working on it since July. Hard.

One large house, aluminum storage shed, little barn, big horse barn, yard.

All basically transformed (though still works in progress). I went through systematically, room-by-room. More or less. I did find that I have left a little something unfinished in each room. It is a disorder!

A conservative guess is that we threw away or donated away a couple of tons of stuff. Not counting several truckloads hauled off by a metal salvager.

We hosted a large wedding and reception (a "frolic" and contra dance held in our horse barn) here in October and everything was simply beautiful.

At a loss for what to do with myself, the week after the wedding, I took a trash bag into the woods and picked up stuff there.

I have been in houses like the one in which BleekerStGirl describes growing up. Mine was never that bad, thank heavens.

But if the clutter causes you anxiety-->which makes you more incapable of clearing it-->which causes you more anxiety-->until it basically takes over your life, you are a hoarder.

In my work as a dvm, I find that I am running across more and more individuals who are hoarding animals. In fact, in my practice, I now find myself having to "head some off at the pass" before they get out of hand and end up on the six o'clock news, busted by animal control.

Now pardon me while I go add to my collection of 3 lb coffee cans.