rhubarb reign

Yesterday*, I wanted to concentrate on this:

But instead I was working on this:

The storage area. Yikes.

It is an unfortunate but well known fact that antique dealers tend to accumulate stuff. The joke goes that when a dealer dies, the funeral is at 10; sale starts at 11. (You must say this in a very deadpan fashion.) To some extent, you just can't help it. It's the nature of the business. There is stuff that comes with stuff, stuff that's just too good to pass up, stuff that is still usable and can't be just thrown away, stuff that you actually paid money for but doesn't sell (what's wrong with you people, anyway!?) So there comes a time every year when all that stuff must be dealt with, lest you end up in the newspaper in one of those hoarding stories. With lots of extra pets.

Once a year, Joe and I sort it all out, box it up, and take it to a wonderful little auction in Michigan. That's today's task. Tomorrow, bookkeeping. But after that, it's all about the tree, baby! xo

*P.S. You know I'm feeling guilty about this, MT; since it's a holiday week, I hope 5 a.m. Tuesday still counts as Monday! (: