“The RoseBouquet”

First of all, a Happy July 4th to all my American Sisters and Brothers! I wish you great joy as you celebrate your liberties and freedoms as a nation. We know it is an unearned gift, and the Giver deserves some praise.

Two Days to Auction!

I’m going to skip the photo story this morning as I need to get back to Hague to continue to clean out the house and prepare for the Auction sale of Dad’s estate on Friday. I do see minor miracles every day, so I’m going to take time to describe some of them to you, and promise a more full report next week, when that part of my life is finally wrapped up.

Last week I stayed mostly here in the city and tried to put away the stuff already here. I even got to hang a few pictures on the wall.

On the Thursday night four College and Career young adults came to help paper my kitchen. I wanted a quilt look, but we what we got was more of a collage. We had fun, but next morning when I saw a number of those patches come down, I realized that I’d have to take time later to do it over. Later. There’s other things pressing right now.

Friday I wanted to go back to Hague, to sort and load up stuff, but had my fan belt go on the car just after I got on the street. A man on a bike stopped and advised I cut off the shoestring strip that was flapping around and sounding like a tree caught under the hood. I ran back to my place for a knife, cut it off, and was able to get as far as the WTM office, where Joe (my blessed neighbour) went to buy a belt for me, and installed it too.

In the evening he came to join me in Hague with his young friend Caleb, who is strong as an ox, and friendly as a puppy. Together they tried to get the upright freezer out of the basement. When they got stuck I ran next door and called my neighbour Larry. Between the three of them they accomplished a very, very hard task!

We had all agreed that the chest freezer couldn’t get into my little house at all. This upright freezer, the size of a medium fridge, managed, but only after Joe took the door off of it, and also took the screen door off it’s hinges.

We also brought as many boxes as we could, so my living room was piled high again.

In fact, when I looked around as we left that that house I calculated that I still had another 6-7 or more cars full to move! But there were not that many days left to the auction sale date.

Saturday I went back to Hague, and my neighbour Larry made me a wonderful offer. He’s in construction and uses a large white covered trailer to take his tools along from site to site. He had just bought a newer, bigger trailer, and he was going to spend the day moving his tools and cabinets to the newer one. He offered to park the older one in front Dad’s house, and I could fill it at my own pace, and when full I should just let him know and he’d tow it to my house in the city for me.

What a wonderful offer! How could I refuse? It was an answer to prayer!

I took time that afternoon to go to Mr. Jacob E. Friesen’s funeral in the Hague Mennonite church, just around the corner. He turned 101 on May 30th. (You might recall that I used to tell stories about him some years ago, as he was a part of Dad’s and my life).

When I got back, Larry had finished emptying his older trailer, and parked it in front of our house. I got the padlock key from him, and went to change back to my work clothes, and then I started loading it. I stopped for breaks when I got to huffing and puffing too much, but I kept loading until 11 PM. Or was it 11:30?

Sunday I went to church from there, loaded the car with craft boxes meant for a friend, and headed back to the city. I spent Monday baking and cleaning up some of the boxes sitting all over the living room. I also had a visit from cousins in the Lethbridge, AB. area.

Yesterday I was back in Hague, and after visiting with other neighbours over the fence and in the volunteer garden (yes, things are coming up even though I haven’t sown anything there!) and I got back to loading that trailer. By 6 PM. it was more than half full.

And still I have piles of boxes that need to get in there. That’s why I need to put in another full day there.

I have a paying web design client eager to get their site up and ready to advertise, so I need be back here for the evening, but I do hope I get the packing and loading done this afternoon.

Tomorrow my favourite uncle, Henry Kroeker, is coming from Alberta, and we’ll pick up Tom, my brother, and head out to Hague again to clean and prepare for the Auction sale the next day. It starts at 10 am. but the auctioneer wants everything out on the street (which we have permission to block off) by 9 am. so that prospective buyers can browse ahead of time. That means, ALL the stuff I have in the garage and in the house has to be carried out at a steady trot from about 7 am to 9 am.

I’ve already tried to recruit every able-bodied man I meet to be there early to help with this huge task. A woman from church is going to do what she can to recruit some more, and the youth pastor, who is organizing the teens to run a consession stand in the garage is going to see if some of the teens will come early to help too.

So you see, Friday is the big climax to all of the first six months of this year. It is going to be terribly busy in the early hours, and then I expect to hob-nob with the buyers and visit and try to hold myself together until the sale is over about supper time. I will be taking photos all over the place to preserve the memories. Hopefully I’ll have extra batteries ready.

Of course, the beds will be sold by the end, so we’ll come back to the city, but I expect to go back on Saturday for my last final push to leave a clean house behind before I turn the keys over to the new owners, Kevin and Caitlin.

Next week? I’ve been telling myself I need to just hold on for this week yet, and then I’ll be able to slow down and sit at the computer more, but I do realize in the back of my mind, that then I’ll still have to unload that trailer full of stuff, and find a cubby spot for each item. I still need to fix and finish both front and back porch, and deal with the basement issues, water heater, walls and tiling the floor. However, I’m getting so weary of all this physical work that I think I’ll do just the bare minimums and put a lot of it off to spread over the summer.

I need - I want desperately to get back to my old work routines at the computer. I need to earn money to cover my bills. Although I must praise God that sufficient came in last week to meet my automatic deduction bills. And I got a free haircut too!

Some have commented that my family doesn’t know or fully appreciate how much I’ve done to close up Dad’s affairs. I agree, but then I’m convinced that the Lord is going to reward me, and He will do it fairly. I’m asking that He bless my business ventures, if He’s looking for tips on how I’d like to be paid. As with many jobs, you don’t always get paid the same day that you do the work. My pay day is coming! (Psalm 62:11-12).

Okay, if’ you’ll excuse me - I’ve got’a get a move-on here!