It's over....and it's begun!

One door closes and another opens. It's been quite a whirlwind. The estate sale went by in a blur. We probably should have had it over two consecutive weekends because of the huge quantity of items for sale, but we sold quite a lot and John Favors accomplished what he promised - when they departed, the house was totally empty and clean. I didn't have to do a thing to it. I also used his company to move my furniture, which they did the following day, on Monday August 11th. I started sleeping in the carriage house that night and ever since. On Wednesday we hired a uhaul truck and two teenage boys to move the boxes, bookcases, smaller items, etc., and Brian came up and helped. I'm still moving small items, for example lamps, but will be finished by next week. I love it. I've felt at home here ever since I first saw it. It just suits me. It is filled with light and there are trees visible from every window. It is very quiet, and the garden is very healing. I ate breakfast out on my balcony the first morning. I'm still not totally unpacked, but I've already begun having people over, and Trish spent the night on Tuesday - my first overnight guest. We had a great time staying up late talking, and went to see the movie Mamma Mia the next day. We plan to have outings like this twice a month on a regular basis.

This past Monday my body finally felt the effects of the last few months and I've been experiencing the fatigue that I had several months ago, plus my legs are heavy. I'm listening to my body and taking it easy for awhile. I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor this Tuesday. I don't know if I've gained all the weight she wanted me to, but at least I've gained some. She's going to order the blood tests again to see if there's still a problem with the kidney. I know I wasn't eating well when I took the test last month. It was difficult to have a healthy diet when I only had about two inches of space to work in and I was surrounded by ants. I'm eating well now though.

I haven't taken a lot of photos of the apartment because I want to wait until I'm totally unpacked and all the boxes are gone, but I did post one photo of the butcherblock - you can see a little of the bedroom and the kitchen, too. I'll post a slide show when it's ready.

Suffice it to say.....I've moved on and my new life has begun. I'm happy and excited and looking forward to what the future may bring.

Only Two More Days!

Only two more days until the estate sale. I can't believe we're here already. The team has been wonderful - I couldn't have chosen a better company. We've already sold all the antiques, a lot of the clothes, all the fine crystal, the peacock, the entry table and mirror, most of the ivory. They have certain customers who get private invitations to come before the public comes and they pay top dollar. We've had people in here every day all this week, all day. I'm exhausted, but I'm also exhiliarated. I'm beginning to get very excited and I can't wait to move into the carriage house. Francine is going with me tomorrow to do some measuring so I can make final decisions on what furniture to bring, so that I can sell what I don't bring. I'm not going to be here during the sale - I've made plans for all three days. Wayne, however, is planning to be here to keep an eye on things. When I come home Sunday night, there's not going to be very much furniture. All the dishes and pots and pans I've been using will be in boxes, because we don't want to risk anyone buying them, so it's going to be very difficult to live here. I'm going to try to arrange the move for as soon as possible after the sale. I've interviewed one company already, and I'll probably just go with them. Deja's using them for the two antiques she's buying and they come highly recommended by friends of hers. What a journey this has been. And it's not over, because I'll be starting a whole new life once I move. How many people get to say that at my age?

One Week To Go

Today is the first of August. This month will be full of changes for me. The estate sale will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 8, 9 and 10, from 10-4. Tell all your friends and come yourself. Some friends have already come by and all have made purchases. The liquidators have said that they've never seen an estate sale like this one - we have the equivalent of 3-4 houses. It's unbelievable. I knew we had a lot of stuff, but it really hits home when you see it all displayed. Every night I fall into bed totally exhausted, and then I wake up in the morning and get back to work. Right now I'm working on the office, tossing out old files, finding treasures (all of Larry Negri's recipes!), creating a landfill of paper. I'll be working on this all weekend. I have to get the office, the closet in the guest bathroom and the kitchen totally finished by Sunday night, so that when they come on Monday they can finish pricing everything. I'm getting a little nervous - I don't know how I'll get it all done in time, but I know I will. I'm hoping to move some of my things to the carriage house beforehand. I've put red dots on everything I'm keeping, but I've been warned that people who shop at estate sales don't respect red dots. If they really want it, they remove the dot. So I'll have to hide all my smaller items, either in the shed or a closet or by taking it to Carla's. I'm also going to make a list of the furniture I'm keeping for the staff to have, just in case. The company I'm using has been really great. They're trying to sell the high end, unique items before the estate sale, thus getting higher prices. They had their CD/book buyer come in a few days ago and he paid $2,000 for what he took, which is really very good for used CDs and books. They took the entire jade and ivory collection into San Francisco to a gallery and have already sold most of the ivory and some of the jade. I also gave John some of my good jewelry to sell in the city. Bonnie, who is arranging and pricing the clothing, took a whole bunch of it home with her to try to sell in private appointments, and she's going to have buyers come to the house to see the fur coats. They're doing their best to make sure I get the most money possible out of this, and they've also been very understanding and sensitive.

The other change in August is, of course, my move. I can't wait. When I go to sleep at night, I imagine I'm in my new bedroom in the carriage house. I've changed my email address to laureldruce@gmail.com. This way I never have to change it again, even if I end up moving somewhere else.