Healthcare reform...one picture is worth a thousand words

FOXNews.com - Cash-strapped former TV star holds garage sale - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

FOXNews.com - Cash-strapped former TV star holds garage sale - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

Posted using ShareThis

This story originally appeared in March 2009 but it seems no one is immune to hard times. Springtime is usually the time we start feeling the need to purge after a long winter of being cooped up. Isn't it all just clutter anyway?

Brave little soldiers and hero mommies!

I received my latest issue of The American Legion yesterday. Didn't get a chance to read it until this morning while having breakfast. An article that caught my eye and made me cry was titled: Hug-a-Hero dolls comfort kids of the deployed. This is a must read for anyone who proudly supports our troops, whether they be here working at home or deployed overseas. The official website is www.daddydolls.com.

The wives of two Marines developed the idea of making fabric dolls with the printed picture of their husbands in uniform so their ill children could still have daddy to hug while he was deployed. What a wonderful idea. What touched my heart was the photo with this article of the 4 year old receiving chemotherapy holding her 'daddy doll'. I remember so well the dependent children I cared for while working in the military hospitals when I was stationed around the country at various Army posts. Military families are special. Their children are special. They must endure many hardships and sometimes never know when a parent or spouse must leave for a length of time to serve overseas. It's what they choose to do but they do it selflessly and proudly. It's something civilians will never understand. To this day I still feel the tug of my 'military family' and remember fondly the many great opportunities and experiences I had while in uniform.

A piece of history...now gone!

This old landmark was the local post office and general store in Mt. Holly, Vermont, many years ago. It no longer exists, even in the form of this old ramshackle house. It was recently torn down as an eyesore and to open the land.

I remember my grandmother living here at one time. She lived here with her son and daughter-in-law in the late 1950's or early 1960's. We attended the local church (which recently burned to the ground this winter) just around the corner and would then go to grandma's house for Sunday dinner. I remember watching grandma wearing her apron and cooking in the kitchen. We have old home movies of us in front of that old porch waving like maniacs to the camera. It was a grand old house but nature eventually took over and now it's only a memory. Thank you, Grandma, for all the wonderful Sunday dinners.

Freecycle is my new best friend

I've discovered The Freecycle Network here in Vermont. According to The Freecycle Network home page the network "is made up of 4,229 groups with 4,397,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free."

I've joined four different Freecycle lists here in Vermont: Addison/Rutland; Springfield; Burlington and Washington County. The reason for this is I clean out estates in various towns and in order to list items in whatever town I'm working I need to be a member of that town's list. It's actually fun and exciting because I have the opportunity to meet many great people who appreciate my castoffs and less stuff is going into the local landfills. Besides offering items for the taking a member can also place a wanted post if they are looking for an item in particular.

So far, since joining, I've managed to keep 35 boxes of old books; 4 boxes of records; an old buffet/server; 3 bags of vintage linens; some old shutters; a floor model stereo; 15 boxes of household items; a sofa; 2 upholstered chairs; a large kitchen counter; 4 boxes of children's encyclopedias; a stroller; and a large box of men's clothing out of the local landfills. I find this exciting (I know, I need to get out more) but best of all I've met some wonderful folks who were just as excited to receive these items.

It's free to join a Freecycle list so give it some thought. I'm glad I did. It's a great way to keep from filling up the dump with stuff that still has some miles left on it and it's actually fun!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone. This celebration day of the birth of Christ was a rebirth for me in some ways. With it I hope to strengthen my resolve to find calm, grace and peace in my world in order to help others find the same in theirs.

God's speed to my nephew...the Marine!

God's speed to my nephew, the marine. We received word this morning my nephew, seen here at my brother's memorial in 2005, has received orders for duty in the Middle East beginning in February 2008. He will leave behind his two young children and his lovely wife in order to fulfill his duty, proudly and with honor.

We wish you safely home, Kiki, and love you so very much.

Well, jumpin' jim jeffords, it's cold outside!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr! It sure is cold outside today. When that nor'easter blew in yesterday this ol' attic wench was scramblin' around the attic tryin' to plug the broken windows with whatever I could find up here. At first the closest thing at hand was great-auntie's old wedding dress inside a plastic bag, just layin' there on top of a cardboard box full of 1940's newspapers. I could here her voice telling me, "Go ahead, dearie, the dress never did me much good since the ol' fool I married ran off with the local town hussy and left me and the kids to fend for ourselves." Still, I thought better of it and managed to find a dome top trunk containing some old sheets and linens so I used those instead.

I hear tell that after great-auntie's ex ran off he eventually joined the Army but he was wounded in the left butt cheek and broke his left leg so he was discharged soon after. He wasn't any hero since the rest of the story that great-auntie told goes something like this: Her ex was home on leave corousing with his hussy girlfriend when the two of them decided to raid old man Tinkerton's barn lookin' for liquour. After they jumped the fence onto Tinkerton's property great-auntie's ex met face to face with one of the meanest and ornery lookin' bulls you ever laid eyes on. When great-auntie's ex tried out runnin' that old cuss of a bull he slipped and fell. The bull took great-auntie's ex right in the left backside with its horn, just like stickin' a fork in a marshmallow. After that the bull tromped his leg but somehow great-auntie's ex managed to crawl back out of the pasture and he and his hussy friend hightailed it to the nearest doctor. Great-auntie said for years after, that man walked with a gimp that was like watchin' a colt trying to stand on the first day it was born, all wobbly like.

Well, the old sheets stuffed in the broken windows are keepin' the snow out just fine. Time to mosey on downstairs to the kitchen and make a nice hot cup of cocoa. I can smell the stew simmerin' on the wood stove from up here. Smells real good. Next time I get up here to the attic I think I'll take a peek inside that old photo album I found in the bottom of the linen trunk. For now I'll just lay it aside and head on down to the kitchen for some warm vittles.

Up in the attic

Sure is hot up here! Need to open a window to let the air in and the dust out.

Summer is a busy time up here in the attic. The attic wench has been busy getting a website designed for her shop. You can find her now at www.annaqsattic.com. She's also been busy cleaning out some other attics, garages, sheds, homes and barns around the Vermont countryside this summer. Finding lots of great treasures. Recently found a Civil War badge that was sold at one of her estate sales.

Most Sundays throughout the summer you can find the attic wench at the Newfane Flea Market in Newfane, Vermont with a van load of estate cleanout items. Starting in July 2006 you'll be able to see her at May's in Brimfield with a load of cheaptiques and treasures from Vermont estates.

Summers get a little hectic here for the attic wench so there isn't always enough time to get as many listings up on eBay as she'd like. She's still raising a son and trying to build a home this summer. Feels like her life is in storage while she lives out of suitcases. As time goes by the attic wench will let you know how things are going up here in the dusty old attic. Right now she is stepping out for a breath of fresh air.

Looking out the attic window

Wow! Sure is getting chilly outside. The attic wench has a great view from the attic window this fall. She can see the trees turning bright red, orange and yellow from where she sits on a dusty old bench up here in the attic. She's been rather wistful lately. Her sister left for Florida for the winter and that makes her a little sad since they're like best friends and they both share a love of antiques. The attic wench always has mixed feelings about the summer's end partly because she can now relax after a hectic summer but she knows she won't see many of her flea market buddies until next spring. However, she keeps busy sorting and dusting off all the old junque scattered around under these old rafters.

With colder weather setting in it's time to concentrate more on getting the eBay store filled with fun stuff. The old trunks here in the attic are stuffed with years of accumulation and are being made ready for emptying so keep a look out for some great items on eBay. For instance, the attic wench just listed a 1914 cast iron baseball bank that hadn't seen the light of day for nearly 93 years.

Someone is calling from kitchen for the attic wench to join them for tea and scones. She'll be back later to finish digging through the old trunks to see what else she can find. Meanwhile, enjoy the colors of fall through the attic window and stay warm.

Never Know What You'll Find In An Attic

Do you know what this is? It's for cleaning chimneys. You drop it down the chimney then pull the rope to open it up and scrape the insides of the chimney.

Visit us at eBay to view our online store at http://stores.ebay.com/Anna-Qs-Attic. We scour the Vermont countryside searching for treasures.

In the summer of 2006 we were hired to clean out a 13 room Victorian house. It was a huge amount of work but fun. We found some amazing items including an old tintype of two Civil War soldiers in a boxing pose. We held an estate sale for the owner and she was very pleased.

Our estate cleanout services are also available and you can read about what we offer at www.annaqsattic.com. We're happy to help with what can be an overwhelming job.