When you're through with that....

I am starting a national campaign - I've never done this before so I'm not sure how to proceed but we can consider today the official start date of the When You're Through With That campain.

This thought started a few months ago when reminiscing with my sister about a treasured person who passed away at an appropriately "old" age. She maintained a place in our lives since we were about ten years old. She taught us both to play the piano and was a cousin to our grandfather. Louie Blanche was a modest collector of fine but useful things. She used items of her mothers (we'd call them antiques) up until her death. She was a lovely still life artist as many of her generation were. She had no children and few close relatives. Her estate was liquidated to distant relatives we didn't know and we did not have an opportunity to obtain a tangible memory of our time in her home.

How we wished now that we had let her know we'd love a keepsake - when she was through with it.

I surprised my sister this weekend by joining her (five hour trip for me) at an estate auction for a woman who was a hoarding collector of stuff - there were items that hadn't been touched in over fifty years and items that were in good condition, well over 100 years old. There were those at the auction who were old friends who were now bidding against dealers for their memories - you can't win in this scenario!

We all thought: wouldn't it have been great if these friends would have mentioned they'd like a keepsake - when she was through with it?

I had a dear friend; we lived next door to her in London, England. We moved on,
the way military people do, leaving behind lasting memories. Fortunatly, we came back to visit a few years later. Chris had a lovely antique hand carved wooden bowl on her table. It always held fruit and goodies. I made mention on this trip that I loved that bowl, it reminded me of her qualities: great shape, useful, beautiful, a timeless treasure. She immediately emptied the items into another container and gave me the bowl. I was overwhelmed and gladly accepted the gift. Little did I know at the time, but that was the last visit I'd ever have with her. She passed away unexpectantly from cancer a year or so later. I am so glad I told her I loved the bowl, and so glad she passed a tangible piece of herself to me...did she know it was the last I'd see of her? Or was she so generous of spirit? Maybe both, definitely the latter.

Everyone complains that this is a throw away society; some say we've lost touch with the past and our roots. Starting the When You're Through With That campaign could bring some of that feeling of being connected back. The items I wish I had are generally connected with my childhood and probably were discarded along the way as being of little value. My grandmother had a small lidded dark brown crock she always made pickled beets and eggs in. The lid was glued together several times, it was nicked and chipped and shabby. I loved that crock - I don't know where it is now - probably thrown away.....if only I had mentioned I'd like it when she was through with it....my daughter loves picked eggs with pickled beets - wouldn't it be awesome if she used that crock for her daughter some day - a lost opportunity.

For those important to you, ensure you have a keepsake of theirs, let them know how much an item means to you, suggest that you'd like it - when they're through with it....it might make their enjoyment of the item that much more precious, knowing it is valuable to your connection - or they may ensure you have that tangible reminder of your time together while they can see the delight you take in receiving it.

When you're through with that - pass it on.

Waiting Over - Hurray

I am the proud owner of a mortgage - finally!

Hurray.

I'll post a few new pictures soon......this one is about 3 months old.

I Am Waiting

Today's post is dedicating to waiting - because that's what I've been doing for the past week - waiting for my closing to happen.....each day brings a new challenge - I think it is the banks duty to ensure we are really committed to this mortgage, because the average person would have given up by now!!!!!

I am Waiting - By Lawrence Ferlinghetti

I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting for someone
to really discover America
and wail!
and I am waiting
for the discovery
of a new symbolic western frontier

and I am waiting
for the American Eagle
to really spread its wings
and straighten up and fly right
and I am waiting
for the Age of Anxiety
to drop dead
and I am waiting
for the war to be fought
which will make the world safe
for anarchy
and I am waiting
for the final withering away of all governments
and I am perpetually awaiting a rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for the Second Coming
and I am waiting
for a religious revival
to sweep thru the state of Arizona
and I am waiting for the Grapes of Wrath to be stored
and I am waiting for them to prove
that God is really American
and I am waiting
to see God on television
piped onto church altars
if only they can find the right channel
to tune in on
and I am waiting for the Last Supper to be served again
with a strange new appetizer
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for my number to be called
and I am waiting
for the Salvation Army to take over
and I am waiting
for the meek to be blessed
and inherit the earth
without taxes
and I am waiting
for forests and animals
to reclaim the earth as theirs
and I am waiting
for a way to be devised
to destroy all nationalisms
without killing anybody
and I am waiting
for linnets and planets to fall like rain
and I am waiting
for lovers and weepers
to lie down together again
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for the Great Divide to be crossed
and I am anxiously waiting
for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner
and I am waiting
for the storms of life to be over
and I am waiting
to set sail for happiness
and I am waiting
for a reconstructed Mayflower
to reach America
with its picture story and tv rights
sold in advance to the natives
and I am waiting
for the lost music to sound again
in the Lost Continent
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting
for the day that maketh all things clear
and I am awaiting retribution
for what America did
to Tom Sawyer
and I am waiting
for Alice in Wonderland
to retransmit to me
her total dream of innocence
and I am waiting
for Childe Roland to come to the final darkest tower
and I am waiting
for Aphrodite
to grow live arms
at a final disarmament conference
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting
to get some intimations
of immortality
by recollecting my early childhood
and I am waiting
for the green mornings to come again
youth's dumb green fields come back again
and I am waiting
for some strains of unpremeditated art
to shake my typewriter
and I am waiting
to write the great indelible poem
and I am waiting
for the last long careless rapture
and I am perpetually waiting
for the fleeing lovers on the Grecian Urn
to catch each other up at last
and embrace
and I am awaiting
perpetually and forever
a renaissance of wonder

If you have read this post to the end you most likely have mixed feeling about the poem's content. Some of it might offend you. I felt that way the first time I read it. Then I went through and looked up the actual meaning of some of the words that offended me and I had an awakening.....we have so corrupted the English language - or more appropriately limited the meaning of so many words to a narrow interpretation often not resembling the original intent of the word.....

I am waiting....

Closing on Friday!

Hurray! We expect to close on the house on Friday. I should have pictures to post tomorrow! The appraisal came in above the prebuild appraisal which was done a year ago during the boom - this area doesn't really have a boom and bust mentality - it's pretty much maintain around Eastern Tennessee.

I will share with you this picture my Aunt sent to me - I thought it was so hilarious!