This morning’s sunrise. This was the view out our back window. However, I went outside to shoot this, rather than shoot through the smudgy window. Isn’t it gorgeous? We do get the best views out this window and from the window in the upstairs half bath. Last night’s sunset was glorious, too, but that view is from the front of the house.
We are having unseasonably warm weather. That will change tomorrow. So I’m going to enjoy one more day of warmth and potted flowers in bloom on my porch. The cement job looks great. Don put the skim coat on yesterday. Finished!
During all my ongoing reading, I’ve also been rereading The Deptford Trilogy by one of my all-time favorite authors, Robertson Davies. I just finished the second book in the trilogy, The Manticore. Now, it’s on to the final book, World of Wonders. I first read these books well over 30 years ago. Maybe even 40 years ago? I haven’t read them since and I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to revisit them. Davies was a brilliant writer. I’m also reading My Name is Barbra, Barbra Streisand’s autobiography. I’m not a regular reader of biographies; I much prefer fiction. But her style is very chatty and it’s like having a conversation with her – a very accessible and compelling read.
I’m contemplating selling my first dollhouse, Hummingbird Cottage. Should I? The dollhouses take up space here and though I love it, I’m not as invested in it these days. I would sell it without the furnishings, I think. But how do I price something like that? It took 6 years off and on to repair, refurbish, and decorate. I don’t know, maybe it’s a fruitless idea. It would have to be a local sale and I can’t imagine there are that many prospective buyers.
I won’t sell the vintage houses; even if I wanted to, Don would never let me! And I’ve got the Beacon Hill to work on. Plus, Dove Cottage is here and Don’s Mini Studio.
I’m also going to sell some of my McCoy pottery on Etsy. I have so much of it! There are pieces I’ll never sell, but there are plenty that I was happy to acquire at the time but am fine with selling. I’ve been washing them and thinking about how to photograph them. That will take up a great deal of time, but having done this in the past with the scarves I used to sell, I’m fairly sure I can handle it. I’ll let you know when they’re posted on Etsy.
Letting go of anything is hard for me, but as I grow older (another birthday next week) I realize I need to let go of those things that I can willingly release.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
What a beautiful sunrise! I love seeing them, as well as sunsets. Always something different! We’ve actually been having a little well needed rain…not a lot, but enough to help the lawn for a bit. I know what you mean about letting go of things. I’ve had so many things I’ve held on to, and as I’ve gotten older they just don’t have a hold on me like they used to…and usually it feels so much better to be rid of many of the things. Happy Friday!
Thanks so much, Barrie.
Stay safe.
Lovely sunrise. Every so often I feel the need to let go of things. I have to be totally in that zone. If I end up thinking about things I just might as well give up. I love when I’m in the mood to just lighten my load and find new homes for “stuff”. I seldom am sorry but there have been times when I wonder why I didn’t keep something. Have fun.
Yes, I have to feel ruthless about the whole thing.
Thanks, Eileen!
Stay safe.
You’re quite right to dispose of possessions you like, maybe even love, but can do without. Take photographs and accept the fact that you had them and enjoyed them, then let them go on to another loving home.
It frees up some much-needed space, in your house as well as in your mind, and maybe supplies some money — for necessities of life or for other acquisitions.
Wise advice, Petra.
Thank you!
Stay safe.
happy for you to have the beautiful sunrises/sunsets and a book by a favorite author to enjoy, also another mild day with the flowers before cold weather arrives.
the concrete project sounds like it was a lot of work so am glad you are pleased with the results.
best wishes on letting go/selling some vases and maybe a dollhouse and all that entails. in addition to etsy, might there be resources that could help with pricing and maybe selling … online sites specific to dollhouses, roseville pottery, etc.? or facebook marketplace? or a local shop that might sell things for you without taking too big of a commission?
i feel exactly the way you wrote about yourself letting go of things … it’s not easy for me, either! i am very sentimental and though reminders aren’t needed, i like to have things around me that remind me of the people and animals i love. i smile and am grateful every time i walk around my apartment and see those things … but as i get older, i know i need to take care of those things and everything else, make decisions about them. i find it easier to sort by category (go through all books, then all music, etc.) and save the harder stuff for last.
i ask my family if they want stuff and keep a bin in my car trunk for things they don’t,
things to take to a charity. i will certainly keep family pieces (like the wicker settee that went from my paternal grandparents to my parents to me), but souvenirs from school (like the marble paperweight that was a rather odd-seeming gift to each of us on the drill team) and hundreds and hundreds of photos from those cruise-talk trips? stuff like that is either gone or going to go!
something else that can go? covid! we will be testing for it after lunch today. prayers are appreciated. and i keep you all in my prayers.
happy, safe friday to everyone.
kathy
I have pricing guides/books for the things I collect and I usually check them against current prices.
I just tested for Covid because I’m not feeling well, but it was negative. I don’t mind doing it – it’s quick and easy.
Stay safe.
good about both things, especially you testing negative!
thanking God that we’re negative here, too … all of us except for my niece’s husband and he will get there soon. :)
kathy
xo
It’s always very difficult to downsize. Making the decision to do so is half the battle. Good luck. It’s going to get colder here too tomorrow. Hope you and Don have a nice weekend. Enjoy your reading. Hugs, Elaine
Thanks so much, Elaine.
Stay safe.
Wasn’t Hummingbird Cottage where Carolyn lived? Do I have her name right? I loved the stories you would tell about her. I don’t know how you can put a price on all the work and love put into the cottage. Before Christmas would be a good time for the sale.
I just looked at her Christmas tree. The correct name is Caroline.
xoxo It’s my middle name and my grandmother’s name.
Yes, Caroline lives there. Putting a price on all the time and effort put into that house will never accurately reflect the work.
Thanks so much, Olivia.
Stay safe.
Well, what makes the dollhouse complete, to me, is how you’ve furnished it. The whole package is just very, very, VERY special. It would definitely be appealing to somebody else who wanted the blank slate of an empty house, to furnish it to their own liking. But, gotta tell you, pains me to think of you letting go of the house, Claudia. The house has its own story; I guess I don’t want to have the story end. Why don’t you start with the McCoy and see what happens from there.
I guess it’s the collector-hoarder in me but I have many, many things (material objects) I’ve gotten rid of, to still be regretting the loss of them YEARS later. (Oh, the lament, “WHY did I sell it; WHY???) I mostly did it, at the time, because I needed the money. (It was nothing about downsizing, not in those years.) This is still my struggle coupled with the need to pare down and declutter due to my age and Too Much Stuff. It’s just … complicated, though. I don’t purge easily. I love what I’ve collected. The things bring me pleasure. I’m tired of having to explain it to others when I get the judgmental question, “Why do you want that? What do you do with it? Why do you need it? What’s the point of it?” The question is generally asked of me with a hint of the snide. How about my answer being, “I have it because I love it. It makes me happy.” (I actually came across an article recently about this, which is prompting me to go look for it; might have been in Reader’s Digest or something. Somebody wrote a book on the subject!)
I don’t have an issue with letting it go. It’s quite large and we have minimum space here. The challenge will be if anyone wants it and that may well not be the case. I don’t want to saddle Don or my sister with having to sell it or the furniture someday. It would be impossible.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Okay, then, if you’re ready, you’re ready, and you should go with it. You’re being unselfish for your loved ones. The doll house has fully lived its life with you and can now be part of someone else’s. You have to be ready to let go, and you are. I totally get the ‘space’ problem; I have no room for ANYthing in my small home. My husband (he’s not a bad guy; it’s just that our interests are VERY different) is completely disengaged and uninterested/indifferent to anything I’ve collected; he thinks of it all as ‘junk’; he doesn’t understand the meaning or value of anything I have; he’d get it all mixed up (and I do think of this quite a lot) and either dumpster it or box it all for Goodwill (just no patience for material objects/clutter as he deems it [he’s a minimalist]). So, I’m hearing you; I’m understanding it; you’ll always have the photos of the cottage and you’ve taken some AMAZING photos of it! The house comes alive in your photos, every time.
Thanks, Vicki.
As I said though, whether I can sell it is the big question!
xo
One of the few good things about the shorter days is now I never miss a sunrise. You certainly get some pretty ones. Our warm days are coming to an end today. We had forties and starting tomorrow will only get up into the thirties from here on out. More seasonal to be sure but we’ve kinda gotten spoiled.
I know how hard it is to let go of some things. You get to an age where you begin to realize you need to decide what is really worth keeping. I began letting go of things last spring. I made sure to take lots of photos so I’d always have that. You say it would have to be a local buyer, but there must be online sites where dollhouse hobbyists gather. Do they ever list things for sale? It’s such a beautiful house and so obvious all the work that was put into it. A collector would see that and be willing to pay for it. Maybe something could be worked out regarding shipping costs. To me one of the best things about the internet is how it enables like minded people to more easily find each other.
Take care,
Kay
I’m feeling fine after my Covid vaccine reaction. It was just the one night. Thanks for asking. :-)
I don’t know of any site like that and shipping it would be unbelievably costly. Plus, no guarantee that it would arrive intact.
I’m happy you’re feeling better, Kay!
Stay safe.
Letting go is very hard for me and I suspect I’d have a hard time letting go of Dove Cottage. But that’s me. If it’s time for it to go, it is its time. The same with the McCoy. I’m nearing that time myself with some of the things I have have but you’ve moved on to the next step. I would have no idea how to price things — but I wouldn’t underprice. Research time.
I’m not letting go of Dove Cottage, Jeanie – it will be Hummingbird Cottage.
It may be impossible to get a buyer for the dollhouse, so we’ll see.
Stay safe.