"No, estate sales are not only for those who have passed on." I overheard James telling an elderly woman who had a beautiful Irish brogue. James is running our estate sale and was explaining why the sellers were wandering about house, very much alive, relating the stories behind the objects for sale.
And, every object has a story. "That is called a 'possum belly' because of the shape of the storage drawers underneath it."
"The trunk is shaped that way so the side would fit up against the curved gunwales of old Dutch barges."
"That painting was done by Lynne's dad and is of an old cabin in the Gunnison."
It is tough seeing so many of these stories going home with someone else. But, sometimes it brings a bit of joy too. Especially when you feel the item and the person are a perfect match. In one case a young woman, likely in her mid-20s, bought several rustic antique pieces of furniture because they "spoke to her", and she was furnishing a large space. Those antiques, some of which may have been 80 to 100 years old will now go forward with her, and perhaps her children for another 80 to 100 years, and accumulate stories of their own.
The people have been wonderful. It is a bit weird to invite dozens of strangers into your home to wonder around looking at everything you own. Most wanted to hear our story, and we told them about my retirement and our imminent move to an off-the-grid cabin in Colorado, etc. And, they all congratulated us and wished us the best. One woman made a point of wishing us "the happiest possible lives going forward".
I think the first day of the sale went well despite the rainy conditions (that everyone complained about). James is actually hoping for rain on Saturday and Sunday as that tends to shut down the classic "garage sales" (he calls them "the competition") and may bring more people to our indoor estate sale.
The second day is just kicking off as I write this. One couple is walking down our driveway, returning from yesterday, probably to buy a couple of book cases they were looking at. Here we go!
Posted by Rick on 05/07/2016 at 08:11 AM
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moving
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Getting There
Oh my, brings back many memories. I retired in 2004. We sold our home in Texas and moved to Oregon. Getting rid of 30 years of ‘stuff’ was a challenge but I learned to be brutal about what to keep and what had to go. To this day I constantly monitor what comes in and make sure I always have an on going donation box for Goodwill. When you move to a smaller space you have to remain diligent. I never missed a thing we got rid of. Wish I’d gotten rid of more before the move but had to learn by experience how little we really needed. Have fun on your adventure.