Real Estate News Source

Page 1

Vol.III, No.14

www.renewssource.com

July 15, 2017

Is It Clutter Or Something More? By Pat Farrell

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID San Antonio, Texas Paid Permit #1590

Most dictionaries define “clutter” to mean “a collection of things lying about in an untidy mass,” “a confused multitude of things,” “a condition in which things are not in their expected places,” and may also include synonyms like chaos, confusedness, derangement, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderliness, disorganization, fuddle, jumble, mare’s nest, mess, mix-up, muddle, muss, scramble, topsy-turviness or tumble. To me all that sounds like clutter is nothing but trouble, and with a capital “T,” – what do you think? It is not uncommon to find work spaces that currently resemble the previous definitions, so that the desk in a company or home office may hold huge piles of papers and post-it notes all over the place. Those who utilize these

spaces will most likely either consider their mess to be “organized clutter” and claim it is the way they function best and continue let it pile up until there is some forced reason to clean it up, or they will be continually striving to “get it all together.” But contrary to those people who have no problem with a little clutter there are also a great number of “neatniks” who consider “clutter” to be an extremely disorderly and unhealthy thing that MUST be dealt with immediately and efficiently, and they continue to say so in their writings, all of which will outline for you the steps to take to resolve this terrible problem. Many of those folks make a comfortable living from either instructing others about how to get organized or by coming to workplaces or homes to help with the clean-up process. The question here becomes, if one does work or live under “messy” circumstances, is that to be considered just cluttering, or is it actually a warning that if some behaviors don’t soon change they may be progressing toward actual hoarding? Hoarders are usually people who will not throw away even unneeded items because one never knows when the items will be needed again or because they feel a special attachment to that particular item. In some circumstances there may have been a specific reason for keeping some items; however, when that reason went away the items did not. Locally, we may remember hearing of or reading about cases where people have collected animals, usually cats or dogs, to the point where they were no longer able to care for them or themselves. When they are located,

usually by animal control inspectors, both owners and animals are found to live in squalid conditions, fecal matter everywhere, and nearing starvation. In other cases the owners have been keeping large numbers of rabbits, raccoons and even rats on premises, and under similar conditions to those noted above. There have also been cases where people have collected books, not necessarily to read but just to possess and have been known to purchase several copies of the same book, even the same edition until they have amassed thousands upon thousands of books now taking over their homes. Instances of severe hoarding have been recorded over the years and in one such case, Bettina Grossman, had found her way into New York’s Chelsea Hotel, noted for being home to many famous writers, musicians and artists, and lived there for more than 30 years. She was an unknown artist and during that time she continued to paint and to store the unseen works in hundreds of boxes, stacked floor to ceiling in her small two room apartment. She was found sleeping in a lawn chair in the hallway near her room by Sam Bassett, a film maker who encouraged and helped her to organize and display her artwork, and he later featured her in his documentary film entitled “Girl with Black Balloons.” Another famous case dealt with socialite and “free spirit” Edith Beale, the aunt of Jackie Kennedy, along with her daughter Edie Beale, who together occupied a home that had been named “Grey Gardens” by their neighbors. The home was located in the Georgica pond area of ritzy East Hamptons, NY,

and when Edith’s husband abandoned them, she continued to “hole up” there with her daughter, allowing the home to fall into disrepair. In 1971 the home came under scrutiny of county health officials, who after finding piles of empty cans and other garbage along with human and animal waste, issued several citations. It was also found that the two were only using three of the mansion’s 28 rooms as the others were occupied by hundreds of cats, possums and raccoons. After learning of the deplorable conditions Jackie Onassis and husband Aristotle Onassis paid to have the home brought up to code. In 1973 the mansion was still so infested with fleas that when the documentary film, “Grey Gardens,” was being filmed, the filmmakers had to wear flea collars around their ankles. But first place in the history of hoarding has to go to the Collyer brownstone in New York City, NY. Brothers Homer and Langley Collyer, both born in the 1880s, were sons of gynecologist Herman Collyer and his first cousin Susan Frost, a former opera singer. Both brothers graduated from Columbia University, Homer earning his degree in Law and Langley in Engineering. Langley was also an accomplished concert pianist who had performed regularly at Carnegie Hall. In 1909 the family moved into a four story brownstone in Harlem where the brothers continued to live after the deaths of their parents. They had inherited all parental possessions including a number of medical items from their father. They continued to be active both socially and in church activities until Homer lost his eyesight and


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