There are a lot of people out there who have too many things in their homes. This, I know, because of the number of television shows that focus on hoarders.

Funny. Not too long ago, television - and people in general - did not speak a lot about hoarders, let alone watch TV shows, one after the other after the other, about folks whose dining room tables are buried beneath three tons of everything imaginable.

Not so today. For reasons that escape me, people have become increasingly apt to possess all manner of things, including, but not limited to, Barbie dolls, baby carriages, ice skates, flower vases, photo albums, wind chimes, lampshades, cowboy boots, paint sets and candlesticks. Oh, and all manner of bric a brac.

But a hoarder, of course, will not only have all of these items, but many more besides. Think 35 Barbies.

And just as many Kens.

Sadly, I get this - and not because I am a hoarder, but because, well, I have what might be called hoarder tendencies.

I'll admit it: I have too many things. No, not 35 Barbies. But perhaps 35 candlesticks. And many more vases than I need.

I would not be a suitable candidate for a TV profile, thank goodness - my dining room table is visible, after all - but for reasons I can't explain, I do like peering in on those who are.

Call it hoarder voyeurism.

An individual with too many belongings, I suppose, can be comforted in knowing there are people out there with possession overload. My laundry room may look a little busy - to put it mildly - but it looks downright empty when compared to one featured on television just last week. If that room were home to a washer and dryer, you'd never know it, so filled was the space with clothing, toys, dishes and sports equipment.

What can I say? Call me sick, but I'm hooked on watching hoarder horror stories. And judging by the number of hoarder programs, it's clear I'm not alone.

It's crazy, but it's clear: we like to be there when the decluttering pros move in - as they always do - and convince the hoarder in question that, in an ideal world, washers and dryers should not only be visible, but put to use, oh, every two or three weeks anyway.

It's good to watch the Barbies turfed, and see the paint sets tossed. It's nice to see those vases go - so long as they don't make their way to me.