The Auction

I went to an auction today.

Actually, the first one since Elizabeth and I were constant auction goers last year. It's fun to have an auction buddy.

This was a big auction. And they only auctioned off half of the contents of his houses.

He was a local big wig. A restaurateur and avid collector.

And it seemed like he collected a variety of things, from upholstered furniture, to gorgeous wood dressers and sideboards, pictures and portraits, glassware and china, large room size rugs, old book collections, museum sized mirrors, children's rocking chairs, tables of all sizes (especially nice drop leaf tables) etc., etc., etc.

I was interested in the old barn door with gorgeous hardware. The back door to our barn at 44 is composed of wooden planks nailed in place. Actually there is no door and I want a working door back there, especially if I get my chickens this spring. The Amish were not at this auction so I thought I would be the only one interested in that big old door (who else would want a barn door, right?) but I was wrong and it went for much more than I was willing to pay. I hope it is going to be used on an old barn like I was going to use it.

But I did acquire a 9 foot waiting bench that used to grace the front of one of his restaurants. It will be an addition to Litengard's front wrap around porch this spring.

The auction made me a bit sad though. Here this man collected this vast variety of things all through his life and in one fell swoop they were being dispersed to people all around St Lawrence County, Canada and beyond.

Our possessing of our world, or our trying to, is surely a temporary thing. We stamp our ownership upon our surroundings, call them our own and give them new meaning and familiar names and places in our lives. We erect rooms and comforts and possessions and it is all swept away so quickly, so easily and so irreverantly. Many of us knew this man, but many had never met him and only had heard that his "stuff" (which was of good quality) was being auctioned off. Sad. All his collections gone, dispersed.

This world is not ours forever. We are just pilgrams here. Just temporary. Just care takers. Just journeying through to a far better place.

I don't want to hold my things too tight.

People, yes.

Things, no.

Arriving Daily

As much as I love the Christmas season with all the decorations outside and inside, the mail keeps me occupied with other longings.




These lights and the wreath will remain for the winter and into the spring. They greet me cheerfully when I drive into the driveway and make me long for the day when I will put that little house to good use........starting seeds and nurturing plants.



Arriving daily are large glossy colorful catalogs. Filled with hopes and visions for the months to come. I already know what tomato plants I'm going to order for this next growing season: 'Mortgage Lifter", 'Nebraska Wedding' (great large orange beefsteaks with wonderful flavor),'Paul Robeson' (gorgeous purplish red),'Siberian' (fun for stuffing and baking), 'Camp Joy' (small red, cherry fruits) and a few new varieties that have yet to be selected.

I grew some potatoes last year and they were really fun. I didn't even know how to grow them but they produced. This year I'm hoping for great results now that actually know what to do. And Rob and built me a LARGE raised bed for that project. I have my eye on some red, white and blue options.

The eggplant, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower will again appear as well as the standard beans, peas, squash (winter and summer),beets and cabbage. I already have a big patch of asparagus going but I think I will have to wait one more year before I can actually cut some. And I planted lots of garlic in one of the raised beds at Litengard, now covered with straw and blanketed with snow. Just waiting....

They sure know when to send the catalogs......the days are shorter and cold. Darkness falls early and one has to spend a great amount of time indoors longing for light. So they send us catalogs to occupy our time, remember our past gardening successes and offer visual temptations to try planting things that just will definitely not grow in our zone, no matter how much we coax them along.




But I am enjoying the snow. It has been so beautiful this year. Soft and feathery, light and airy, dusting everything and then blowing away. Seasons are good!

Christmas Cleanup

It didn't seem quite right but it was on the schedule of "to do's".

It is snowing quite beautifully today, but today was the day to remove the Christmas decorations at 42.

And once you start, you have to do the whole thing. So I tackled the Christmas decor removal today. Then the huge cleaning project....but that will happened tomorrow. I have had enough just bringing the bins outside and up into the barn attic.

I love the house when it's decorated for Christmas. The snowmen I've collected for years, the glass ornaments that I put on our family tree when I was a little girl, the lights and the candles, the swags, the creche from Italy, the ornaments from our travels. It's fun to get those things out every year.

We had one deviation from tradition....the "turkey bowl" which is usually played on Thanksgiving was played on Christmas, the snow didn't seem to bother either team. Also, we didn't open a gift Christmas Eve after the service because Ethan didn't get back until 10:30pm but we sat and talked for a bit and did have our traditional hot chocolate and cookies.





The window candles will remain for a bit and I'm leaving Litengard's decorations up too.

But there's something that's coming in the mail everyday now to press us to think forward. BIG, GLOSSY, COLORFUL SEED CATALOGS!!

And we begin to plan.