Treasures abound in the barn. The annual rummage sale for my Political Group is next weekend and donations are arriving. Not being into yard sales or thrift stores, it’s a new experience being on the receiving end of cast offs. Dropping off cast offs at the thrift store, relief is found in an empty trunk. This time, the cars are leaving boxes at my barn door for the sale to be held in less than two weeks.
The sale won’t be at my house, but at the neighbor’s. At least, that’s the way the plan started. The furniture and larger items can stay in the barn, with volunteers handling the actual sales. I’m providing help before and storage. The plan, anyway.
There is a certain curiosity that arises when receiving mysterious and unmarked boxes. What could be inside? Something irresistible? Just the knickknack that’d look great on a shelf? An old cashmere sweater? A designer purse? There is a certain pull, like that of a harvest moon, enticing hoarding tendencies. And just like that, cast offs become beloved treasures anew.
Being blessed with a new girlfriend, I haven’t been working alone. One donation filled a horse trailer and two pickups. An entire household of goods that had once belonged to my new friends’ mother-in-law. She’d lovingly packed the entire house when her friend and M-I-L passed away, and now remembered what was in each and every box as we unpacked and sorted. A raw deal for her.
You just never know what you can run across. Like a 1960’s fold-away hairdryer in the cutest case, as new as the day it was purchased. It looks like it came from Mabel’s Primp and Tease off Main Street. An oddity that brought back memories of a household of five blonde sisters getting ready for Easter Sunday. Curls and Curls and more Curls in the days long before hand held blow dryers and electric curling irons.
A few days before we started unpacking, the sweetest couple had come to drop off their donations. Before they left, the gentleman quietly told his father’s camera was with their donations. If I could, would I please put it on a table with valuable collectibles? It was something special but the time had come to let go.
Sure enough, the camera surfaced. In a well loved and worn leather case, the camera must be 75 years old. Just what family happiness had been captured by this gem? How easy to forget what excitement picture taking was back then. Posing. Smiling. Hoping for a great shot. Waiting for the pictures to be processed. Such a treasure and connection to the past. Yes. It’ll go with the valuable items. We’ll make sure we take very good care of it.
Every thing you could imagine making up a physical life sits in my barn. Beds. A mattress. Bedding. Towels. Linens. Pots and pans. Games. Videos. A television. Two recliners. Dressers. Clothing. Shoes. More shoes. Purses. Jewelry. Even purple tights. If only the items could tell their stories, what stories they could share.
I’ve found some cool purchases. A very old, silver box with wooden lining sat at the bottom of a box. Engraved on the top, it reads M.A.G.A. 1957. Just what did this acronym mean in 1957. Magical Association of Girl Astronauts? Mythical Agency of Gifted Artists? It hold a different meaning for me in 2021. Magnificent. Articulate. Gardener. Aglow. Two years old when the box was a new treasure, I was learning to stand on my own two feet. Sixty-four years later, I’m learning that all over again. A special treasure to someone who kept it all these years, it’s shiny again after a little silver polish. Inside the wood-lined box sit two pair of antique clip-on earrings, older than the box. A treasure meant for me now holds personal significance.
A little angel holding a bird now nestles between my patio plants. A cast iron plant stand sitting in the corner. A little red cross next to my kitchen angels. Little treasures I didn’t know were missing until I found them.
Do I need to bring home more clutter? Does anyone? But, my group IS holding a fund raiser. I better do my part.
With days to purge, I’ll find items to add to the sale. The group has never made more than $1500 after hours of work. I hope we break $2,000 this year. There’s some great stuff for sale. Things and Things and Things.