I Over Did It

 Mikey, Christopher, and I went back to the house yesterday.  I was all fired up to get as much done as possible.  The weather was nice, sunny, and warm but not too humid.  After an hour I had to call it quits.  My back was screaming!  I remember moving a box on Wednesday that was heavier than it looked and something twinged in my back but I shrugged it off. Thursday I was in pain but again I put it down to age and the fact that I've had back problems most of my life.  Friday I woke up feeling okay so went but the pain was awful and so annoying as I really wanted to do a lot.  

The pain made me miserable. As I cleaned out things I noticed so many more problems.  The bathroom sink is a built-in unit, which is standard in Japan, but the waste pipe has been leaking, so the bottom of the unit is rotten and I have no idea what the floor underneath is like.  The same thing has happened in the sink that is in the dead space in front of the toilets.  I really have no desire to move there, it is so depressing to think about it.  Yes, I'm grateful we have that house because trying to rent somewhere else with nine cats would be impossible.  But at the same time, I feel as if I'm going to be working to pay to fix things that should have been taken care of years ago and not left to get really bad.  I know that my mother-in-law spent over 5000 pounds on clothes that she never wore but nothing on fixing the house, I feel so sad.  All seems such a waste.  I remember after she built this house she would come to my place and yell at me for having a piano and computers, I worked hard for them.  I just feel she had no sense about taking care of the house when she could.  

This is the trash that is outside

 

In the house is another room full of stuff.  I found it easier to pile things near windows so they can be taken out.  Some stuff we burned but there is still a lot.  Cleaned out one bedroom, just the old mattress there, the bathroom is done, and most of the Buddhist room.

The Buddhist room

There are thousands of incense sticks that I have to get rid of.  I'll use them in the summer near the windows to keep away mosquitos!

Outside

Looks like one of the neighbors decided to "help" by cutting down some trees, but I think he cut down the blueberry trees!! 

We will go next week and see if we can finish off a couple of rooms.

I think we will have to call the city hall and pay to have the trash removed.

Then the cleaning has to start.

How to remove black mold that is inches thick?

How to get the smell of urine out of wooden floors?  I know our cats pee in places they shouldn't but I clean it up and use alcohol to get rid of the smell.  Looks like my mother-in-law had a few accidents but never cleaned up.  She was offered home help but refused it!!  Yet another thing to deal with!!

Also, the windows are caked with dirt.  I think the main room windows got cleaned twice in 32 years when we lived there, the other rooms never got done.

Going to sulk now!!!