An Awsome Sale!

I am crashing and burning... The miles are finally hitting me in the butt...This entire week, I've been delivering, packing, and hauling...helping friends, that needed a hand, visiting with Bankers and Lawyers, getting groceries and caught up on laundry, so I don't have to choose my cleanest, then second and third cleanest, dirty clothes...My body is sending me little messages, that I must heed... So, Sunday, I think I'll take the entire day off. I received a call yesterday, while grocery shopping, from my pal Val. She had purchased a Heavy cupboard from me at the sale, and is leaving for Europe, next week, and thought maybe I should bring it over. I think that Cupboard gained 50 pounds, this last week....Some how, she and I got it placed, in her Garden work room, I was really afraid for her, that her little body might break... I said, "Val, I don't want you to get hurt, on this move...you have a wonderful life, and lots to live for... me on the other hand, I'm an old work horse, permanently lame, and can hide a lot of scars with an old flannel shirt, and baggy carpenter jeans...{except for the ones I wore yesterday, they had a big hole in the seat, I warned everyone not to watch me walk away...the sight might leave them scarred for life...} I was headed home, and remembered a sign I had seen, on my way to Val's, a garage sale sign, I thought I knew how to get to the street I was looking for, from Val's....I got lost, was going in circles, then I saw a sign...ESTATE SALE! This was way off the direction I was supposed to be going, but I guess my Little Ford has a great nose, he took me to the most Amazing Sale! It was a very wealthy estate, the House was unbelievable! It even had an enclosed pool off the kitchen....They had collected beautiful paintings, bronze statues, oriental rugs, fine silver...I was like a kid in a candy store.... This was the second day, and all prices were reduced! The first things I laid eyes on were 3 of the oldest, gnarliest concrete urns..... I asked immediately, if they were for sale, they weren't priced, and yes, they might be....Kate, the gal hosting the sale, called the owner, and after some negotiating, I owned them! Then I spyed two wonderful blue, wing back chairs, very sophisticated, almost sculptural... priced so well, I had to have them! I ran through the sale again and again, making piles, of the coolest stuff! I was like a mouse in a maze.... the helpers kept saying, "are you still here?" Oh yea, I wasn't goin' anywhere!{My friend, Ed, from Texas, called as I was making circles, to tell me how Fab, the 'Princess' sign looked in his kitchen, that he had purchased from me, a while back! He was positively gushing, it had been on the 'Princess Theater', in Des Moines, back in the 1800's, and I had wanted to keep it, but it was about 12 feet long, and 24 inches tall, and wouldn't work where I had wanted it.... I was soo happy that he was sooo happy! We had a great visit, he said that he and Michael, might be up before Christmas, I hope so, they are like food for my Soul. I miss them much, and we really turn it loose when they come rollin' through...}{ Ed always reminds me of my Margarita count, that he had personally witnessed, on one of our 'turn it loose' visits....hey, after 3 or 4, who can count?} When it came time to load, I loaded one of the urns, myself, it was full of dirt, and lifting a 100 pound urn, 4 feet in the air, with 30 pounds of wet dirt in it, about did me in. So a kind Man working there helped me with the other 2, the chairs, vintage iron fragments, and all the small stuff...thank God... When I got home, my body hurt sooo bad, that I truly could not move...My body just froze up...I popped some Aleve, and John made supper, and moved the little Ford under cover...He knew I was done... Between all the shows, my sale, loading and unloading, my body said,"ENOUGH!"... Sunday will be my day of rest. When I climbed the stairs, to go to bed,{and not sleep in the recliner, like I have for sooo many nights, lately...} I wondered if I would even be able to get up, in the morning...To my surprise, this old body rose to the occasion. However, I will NOT be open tomorrow... I will need to pick up some more shows, I know...I was hoping the last 2 would have been a little better, and get me through... So I may be headed for Indiana, with Dale F., in November, and possibly pick up another show, this month. Mark and I are doing one in Anamosa, Iowa, in January, instead of Heart of Country, in February, I may be headed for Texas, Round Top, in March...Everything is up in the air, my mind is spinning.... My Sale was wonderful, considering 3 of the 4 days, it rained. I am so blessed with the most loyal customers, and friends. It simply costs soo much, just to survive these days, that even wonderful, isn't good enough. I know there is a reason, for all this hard work, and finagling, to get by. And, one should never worry, and always have faith...I do, but the Lord helps he, who helps himself...so I'll keep the Faith, and keep twisting, as well... If you have any grand thoughts, I'll listen! Linda, the gal who stopped in, with her mother, this week, left me with a wonderful quote... " Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning how to dance in the rain"...... I'll just keep on Dancin'! 'til next time, Barb C. p.s. or snow, whatever the case may be... it is snowing like crazy, here this morning...glad I brought all the plants in!