Washing Up Day

20 this morning, sunny but no frost. Still very cold, not above freezing, as I write this, around noon. Yesterday it snowed off and on all day never getting much above freezing. And Saturday we had some heavy snow, but it only stayed on the ground briefly.

March is certainly going out like a lion, at least in our area. It's hard to believe that last week we were working in the gardens. 

Yesterday I unpacked auction stuff. And there was a LOT of it. Our last auction pickup was on Saturday, and this one was mostly glass, although there were several other great things too. Right now Larry is taking a large load to the thrift, because when you buy lots, you get a lot of things mixed in that you don't really want. One boxload went straight to the trash--chipped or cracked pottery and glass, mainly. It's kind of heartbreaking to see some old piece that survived so long be in such bad shape, but there's no sense in keeping it. I did, however, keep one badly chipped old pitcher--I can just see it planted with ivy--and some lidless teapots and sugar bowls for planters.

So. Much. Glass. Only about half of in the photos above. I'm washing it up and identifying today, and then comes the hard part: what to keep and what to sell. I have a lot of Early American Pattern Glass already, which is what most of this is. So if I keep anything, something has to go. This glass doesn't sell easily, unless it's colored glass, but there are collectors out there that love it as I do, so what I sell will be listed on eBay which is where I am most likely to find these collectors.

Last week was a wild one, for sure. We worked in the gardens at the beginning of the week, planting peas, cabbage, and onions, and getting the ground ready for more planting. And then of course, this cold snap. We covered the cabbage plants with plastic jugs with the bottoms cut off. Now I just hope the onion sets and pea seeds will be okay. I think they will, but who knows.

Wednesday we had an auction pickup in Philippi, WV, a three-hour drive from here. It was nice to get out and see part of the state we hadn't seen in a long time. We came home with some good finds, including a mounted deer head, mounted antelope antlers, and a few other things. Taxidermy items sell pretty well, although this is the first time we've had any ourselves.

Thursday we unloaded the van and then went off to pick up our wins from another auction, this one not far from home at all. It took several loads, as we bought a bedroom set, some outdoor chairs and some other chairs, a china cabinet, and a lot of smalls. We were heading home with the last load when the auction clerk called to see if we wanted the mantle I had bid on but lost, because the winner could not pick it up after all. I said sure, but we had to work out how to haul it, since it would not fit in our van. My next call was to the owner of one of the antique malls we have booths in, to see if we could borrow her truck. She said sure--but we'd have to help unload it as the truck was full of furniture. 

So early Friday morning found us at the mall, unloading. She was right--the box truck was packed full. We got it unloaded in about an hour, then picked up the mantle, and brought it back to the mall. It needed a lot of cleaning up, as apparently it had been stored in a barn. So there we were, out on the main street of Ravenswood, cleaning it up. It looks pretty good; we were able to get it set up inside, but we will do more cleaning when we go back in, and then wax it up. 

We also moved in the bedroom set-you can see the dressing table and the chest of drawers here; the bed is hidden behind them. Making space is like shoehorning a semi into a pickup sometimes. The mirror to the dressing table is also hidden behind it. 

Saturday morning we were off again, to the last auction pickup, this one in Fairmont, about 2 hours away, through some driving snow.

It took a long time to pack this auction, as I had bought an entire closet full of odds and ends, mainly to get the few things in there we wanted, like these lovely crewel embroidery pieces.

Then there was all that glass. And a few chairs. Our reward afterward though was lunch with two grandchildren and their mother. Our son was called out to work so wasn't there, which was disappointing, but we still had a great time visiting. We ate at the Poky Dot, an iconic local restaurant famous for their ice cream creations. 

Grandson James and his girlfriend McKenna, and behind them the ice cream artists.

Who would not want giant sparklers in their birthday ice cream treat?

I didn't get a picture of granddaughter Michaela, who is a freshman at WVU, majoring in biology. She's such a smart girl, and managing to survive in the wild world of campus life, a big change from her small high school.

Here is one of my favorite finds from Saturday: a toy electric stove that actually works.

Yesterday was unloading day again, and then sorting and sorting. Larry got some rest, as he was really worn out, while I unpacked and sorted. First, though, I did this:

Four cups of good strong tea later, I felt charged up enough to get to work, and got a lot done. Nothing like tea for an energizer.

So we've kind of caught up with ourselves for the moment, although on my end there is still the ID and listing work to do. I've at least got sorted and packed up what will go to the booths, so I'm getting there.

Actually, I think right now? I need a cup of tea.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.