A link that begged to be stolen and thanks to Creating Tex(iles) for it. The picture alone is a hoot!
This link just depressed the hell out of me. That poor woman has to be mentally ill and is not getting any help. I'm amazed by the pictures and also pissed off at the picture-taker, who should be doing whatever that state's equivalent of the Florida Baker Act may be to get mom's ass into a hospital for some serious attention. A huge collection of buttons or dolls or whatever is a quirk, but that sort of out of control collecting to the point where a house is unlivable due to the "collections" is a sign of a real problem. How does she pay for it? If those are actual Caithness glass paperweights and not cheaper copies, they are quite expensive - my husband and I collected Caithness glass after discovering them when we were in Bermuda, he went crazy over them and we bought them as gifts to each other for holidays afterward, but we have only a handful of the less expensive ones, because even a cheap one is like $70. Many go for way over $200. I spotted other potentially pricey collectibles in those photos. God knows what sort of debt this poor woman racked up developing these "collections." She needs help. Horrible, train wreck link.

Yes, I'm still awake, but it's only 3 in the afternoon and I'm fading. This is bad, I've now been up over 14 hours, after 5 hours' sleep three nights in a row, and now I'm all off schedule. I'll fall asleep shortly after dinnertime and wake at 2 or 3 again. This too shall pass, but it's a pain in the ass at the moment. I did a lot of knitting today after beaucoups housecleaning - when the insomnia gets tough, the tough start thinking about other projects. I impulsively cast on a top-down v-neck raglan cardie in a brown tweedy wool out of the stash from hell - I may not get it done this year but it will be useful someday. Still working on Bardot and the French Market bag - when I'm really tired and can't even think about increasing and decreasing, as I am right now, things like the French Market bag are just the ticket. I'm about five inches up the body - once actual stitch-counting has to start I have to put it aside until I'm awake enough to count past ten. But all the laundry is done, even the pet bedding smells of Tide and Snuggle, and the furniture has had electrolysis. When I cleaned it today I started thinking that maybe it's time to either re-upholster this stuff or get different furniture - the quality sturdy tweedy fabric is now almost a decade old and even it can't last forever, it's starting to lose the battle against sunlight, cat hair, and human abuse. Next time I think it will be less expensive and Scotchguard-treated denim or canvas instead of tapestry and tweed. I love this stuff and if I don't re-cover it I will give it to my son, he's sentimental and loves that old English country house thing of worn tweed and battered wood, plus if they spill beer on it, it will only add to the antique effect. I love it too, but I think I'm ready for a fresh look. House, body, it's all the same issue.

The dog knows he was awakened very early and is already asking for dinner. This is crazy.