Estate Sale

If you've been following this blog at all, you know my mother passed away two and a half years ago.   She left a four-bedroom house stuffed to the rafters with things, most of which were antique or collectible, and the rest were at least vintage.  It was almost an unsurmountable task at the beginning and we had to move some stuff to storage, then to her greenhouse, and have several garage sales just to have enough space to sort through the rest of the stuff.  It's been a long, horrible process.  Long because there was just so much stuff!  Horrible because it was my mother's and I had to dispose of it.  Horrible because I knew enough to know stuff was worth something, but not enough to know what it was worthor where to sell it.  Guilt ridden when I had to sell something below its value.  Selling collectible stuff in this economy is difficult.  I finally sorted out the junk and the stuff I didn't want to deal with (stained linens and broken toys and junk), went through the neverending boxes of clippings, and drug home what I did want to keep, ever mindful of not wanting to create the same situation in my own home.  This summer I just didn't know what to do further, so I called in some estate sale ladies.  They have spent the last two months sorting and selling.  They are down to their final sale, a public sale this weekend.  Then the rest of the stuff will go to the thrift store and we will have a large part of the job done.  There will still be stuff there, the stuff in the garage and some stuff in a back room, but the main part of the house will be empty and we will be able to start repairs and painting in there.  I am so happy!

~Jane