IT MIGHT BE TIME FOR A RATHER LARGE GARAGE SALE ...

Although it has always been inevitable that at some point the Gothic Mansion would eventually be sold, it seems that fateful day is finally upon us. Over the Christmas holidays, the insomniac and her spouse made the difficult decision to put the family home up for sale this coming spring.

Having spent the last 25 years in a house we consider ourselves very fortunate to have called home, it was impossible to imagine living anywhere else in Calgary and decided now is the time to leave the city, as well. Tentative plans are being made to move to a small town to the north, but as there are a limited number of old houses and it's looking like the brick Victorian with the Widow's Walk will not be available any time soon, it is still unknown where exactly we're going. Although one is fairly certain it's not likely to have a real third-floor attic nor a dormer window.

The next few months will be spent attempting to reduce the size of one's many Collections. It was thought this would prove to be far easier said than done, but was pleasantly surprised to find it much less stressful than imagined - the William Morris Golden Rule of Useful/Beautiful being the guideline used for the weeding out process. Twenty-five years in the same house might have been a bit too long for someone who has a proclivity towards hoarding - but a hoarder with Good Taste, one likes to think.

The only real obstacle encountered thus far has been with the Book Collection; there are currently eight bookcases in the Gothic Mansion, which the insomniac has every intention of narrowing down to three ... possibly four. Five at the very most. But each and every bookcase is filled with art, antique and needlework books, making it an onerous task trying to choose which should be kept and which should be relinquished, as every single book seems to fall into the category of either Useful or Beautiful or, worse still, both. Later today, the 33 books selected for elimination this week will be trundled off to the second-hand bookstore. The spouse suggested once the books have been sold, it might be wise to beat a hasty retreat from the store before finding another 33 to replace them.

Acquisition of new stock for the Attic will be temporarily put on hold until future plans have become more definite. The insomniac will do her very best to stick to the weekly blog post schedule, but anticipates there will be the occasional week when she collapses into a sniveling heap onto the Wilton carpets while sorting through twenty-five years' worth of memories. During such moments of high drama there will likely be no post, as no one needs to share in that melodramatic nonsense.

As each room has been gone through and properly “staged” for the sale, one plans to take pictures for posterity and is even considering hiring a PROFESSIONAL photographer to ensure a decent photo before it's too late. The realtor has already indicated it will not be necessary to banish the Taxidermy Collection to the basement, as he feels it adds to the ambiance of the house (obviously, we have chosen the perfect realtor). One has taken his advice to heart and is expecting the arrival of the latest addition to the collection sometime next week - one more ebony bird won't be that hard to pack.

For those who have expressed an interest in seeing more of the Gothic Mansion's interior, there will be numerous Before and After shots of the renovation during the coming months, hopefully serving as a deterrent should one become tempted to purchase yet another “project”. Probably not the brightest move for a couple who are most definitely on the downward slide towards sixty.

The insomniac is already eagerly looking forward to future projects in the new home, and in substantially smaller living quarters she can already foresee how much easier it will be to achieve that cluttered decorating style. The only truly unbearable part of this sale is the probability she'll be expected to dust more frequently than every six months. That, and having to live with plain white walls in the new home until the budget allows for the purchase of thenext batch of Wm. Morris wallpaper, which should last right up until the time of one's final relocation - hopefully feet first out the front door ...

... unless someone would care to pass this post along to The Lady of the Manners and her Stunt Husband, in which case the insomniac would like to suggest this might be the perfect location for the Haunted Mansion ElderGoth Rest Home they've been planning. And she would be delighted to offer her services should they require assistance in locating some pink Morris wallpaper.

Capacity for at least 20 black rocking chairs on the veranda, with plenty of elbowroom for waving one's wolf's-head cane at the other residents ...

Until next time, the insomniac wishes you nights of blissful sleep filled with pleasant dreams. Goodnight, my pretties.

IA

source : http://insomniacsattic.blogspot.com, http://lintas.me, http://fb.com

Posted by Tutik W