I Need a Shower

Of all my strange furniture experiences, today's wins the prize.

This morning I was poking around Craigslist for garage sales and found a post that said:

"OUR AUNT DID ESTATE SALES FOR 40 YEARS AND NOW THEY WILL BE SELLING THE PROPERTY (3 ACRES) WITH A 9.000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING WITH A TON OF STUFF IN IT. YOU PICK IT AND WE'LL PULL IT AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST PRICE IN TOWN. PRICING TO MOVE. IT'S A MESS, BUT IT ALL HAS TO GO. FURNITURE, ANTIQUE, REALWOOD, DISHES, MATERIAL, LINENS, PICTURES, PAI NTINGS, MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE. PLEASE CALL JEAN"

I took the bait. Even though she doesn't know that all caps means shouting. I called and asked a few questions, and figured it was only a 15 minute drive, so we made a family adventure out of it. I am not one to surprise easily, but when she said "more than you can imagine," she wasn't kidding. It was like buried treasure. There were hundreds and hundreds of furniture pieces, piled on top of each other, and covered in dirt. You couldn't find drawers to the dressers, the legs were removed from all the tables, and there was glass everywhere. It was a sad situation, actually.

I thought for a moment in disbelief, then formulated a response. The exchange went something like this:

"If I go through all of this and make a pile, will you give me a good deal?"

"Oh, yes! You mean you'll stay and try to find something?"

"Uh huh."

^^^I got the impression people don't stay.^^^

Let the games begin. Romeo and I rolled up our sleeves, and so did our Little Women, who were responsible for some of our finds. They have quickly learned what to look for and what to let go. We were there about 2 hours in the scorching heat. It ended up being a cool memory for us, though.

I did have a moment of horror when I overheard my youngest asking the lady about her teeth. Sounded like, "Are they loose?" And then something about a dentist was discussed at length. Later I heard her asking about her smoking habits. Truly, her heart was in the right place. (A discussion about appropriate conversations ensued later.)

I'd love to say that I found a ton of great stuff. There were so many incredible pieces, but since everything was piled up so haphazardly, and perfectly good dressers were missing drawers, either I couldn't get to it or I couldn't find all the parts. It was a shame, really.

 

^^^This is how old this stuff was^^^ 
(I should have brought it home as a souvenir.)

Here is what we found. She wanted $40 for everything, 

but we gave her a wee bit more. :)

The part I like least about what I do is unloading the furniture while I sense the neighbor's eyes peering out their windows.

I cope with my insecurity by referring to ourselves as the Grizwalds of the neighborhood. 

We giggle about it and move on with our lives.

(You should see this place at Christmas.) 

Our future dental hygeinist scored this pillow lamp. 

She carried it around for 2 hours, so Jean gave it to her.

 Kate is very proud of that lamp. I asked what color I could paint it for her. She wants "the gold to be purple" and "the white to be hazel." It was broken, so no lampshade in the house fit. That was a shocker.

My husband is my hero. He comes home covered in dust and starts repairing stuff for me. 

 

I sure do love him.

We make a great team.

Now, for that shower.