Cleaning up the messes and salvaging treasures

My brother and I tackled a long overdue task of cleaning out the old mobile home on the property. The home was our grandparents which they used to move around for my grandfather's construction jobs which took him to several different locations. Later, we used it for temporary housing while our parents built our home on the farm. Then, it became a storage repository. As mice and rats made it their home, everyone chose to avoid it rather than face the mess. But, if anything was to be salvaged, we had to get to it now before the floors completely rotted through and all was lost to the hazard.

We didn't find a very much salvageable, unfortunately the damage was too great on almost anything but glass or ceramic. But, we did find a few of those hidden treasures among the rubble. Some glass and ceramic pieces survived and are now listed on our Etsy site for purchase.

Lefton's Salt Box

While the task was rather nasty, it was made easier by working together. My brother and I recalled several memories of our grandparents and the time we spent in the trailer. I'm the baby of the family and was quite young when my grandparents passed away so my memories are sparse and vague. As we tackled this project, Eric filled in some of the details for me. It's amazing what you recall.

My brother tossed a little ceramic lamb to me and said, "here ya go, here's your lamb that got away." Instantly I recalled carrying around the little ceramic piece in my tiny hands and telling folks that it was the lamb that got away. I think I must have liked the parable from Sunday school and snagged it from my grandmother's home. I couldn't have been much older than three at them time. What an odd memory to come rushing back with the tactile and visual cues. I don't think I would have remembered it on my own, but Eric's words were just enough to unleash the faded memory.

We also grumbled about having to face the mess and clean it up. Sad and angry that it had been neglected, we vented over what a shame it was. But, we are resolved to move forward and clean up the farm, leaving our children an even greater legacy than the land we are entrusted with overseeing. The only way things will improve, is if we make them and while the work is hard and unpleasant... it must be done.