Dispensing Our Collection

In 1994, after buying a Victorian home in North Carolina, we sold most of our things at a yard sale in St. Louis and moved, planning to buy what we "needed" to outfit the new old house.  We had enough left to fill a 16-foot U-Haul truck. Four years later, we replaced the Victorian with a bigger "country club" home and bought some things to make it look lived in.

Four years later, we had another yard sale and moved to Arrowhead Lodge and the little cottage next door, in Virginia. Allied Van Lines filled a 52-foot semi-trailer, but didn't anticipate the hill in our lane.  "Are you working today?" the driver asked.  "No."  "Could you drive your pickup up and down the lane as we gradually empty this truck?"  "Sure, Karen and I can do that."  So went the day, the scariest moments involving the transfer of my 9-foot concert grand onto our 7-foot pickup bed, with Karen driving while the two movers and I held on tight -- so much for my original plan to disappear for the piano moving.

Four years later we moved into this farmhouse, again using our pickup to transfer what we needed, but with no semi -- and the concert grand stayed.

Four years later, we aren't moving.  I don't think.  If we did, we'd probably need two 52-foot moving vans unless we had a giant yard sale or auction.  I wasn't planning to get rid of anything until today, when I read my sister's blog posting (http://steinermp.wordpress.com/) and discovered that my best friend has suggested doing it.  So I began taking inventory and discovered the job is bigger than the inventories we took when I worked for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P).  Actually, an inventory probably isn't necessary.  We could simply start taking pictures and posting them on Ebay, not a bad idea.  Think how much easier picture-taking is these days, and so much cheaper, not having to buy film and pay for processing.

"Come now, you've got to be kidding!" says Virginia.  "You're just getting started on the greenhouse, and the goatherd has settled in nicely."

Hmmm.  It might make sense to get a head start on 2012.  Six years in one home is a long time.