From about 2,000 to 400

When we moved from business into ministry, and at the same time from Lancaster County to Berks, PA, we required, in addition to giving much away, two auctions on the same day to clear out what we would not be taking with us into our new 'parsonage'.  One auctioneer in the front yard with tools and machinery, garage and basement stuff.  And the other in a tent in the back yard selling off the collectibles, furnishings, etc. And this was moving from about 2,000 sq ft to about 1,000 because half of our new home would be given to Hope Church to use for offices and meeting space.

Since coming to Douglassville we have gradually 'eBayed' down our attic and garage stuff that came north with us till by 2005 all storage areas of the home were just about empty.  Then the church space became ours in 2003 when Hope moved to it;s first building. Our Book Store was born in 2005 and it's eBay equivalent grew to take over all we had emptied, soem of the former church space and then some.  Now, in a couple of weeks, Lord willing and the overweight diva sings at settlement, the eBay store and all it's accouterments will be loaded onto the buyers vehicles and moved off to her home.

The largest, and most time consuming project in our transformation from 2,000 to the motor coaches 400 (with slides out) sq ft is now over.  Some 10,000 photo images in slides, and snapshots, portraits and landscapes, and many hours of personal VHS tapes have been digitally rendered and now stored in our main computer drive and online with MOZY.COM.

Son Jim has become the family archivist and seems to be enjoying the job.  imagine that; James Lee, our inveterate 'rent free' child has a successful rooming house, a photo studio and production business and the international library of DeWalt, Snyder, Bishop, Andreas, McDowell, and a few other families photos.

When the books are gone we will invite our auctioneer, Cathy Pennypacker, of Gouglersville, to come for a visit and prepare to move all that is left to her auction house when the house sells, or we enter the motor coach permanently, which ever occurs first. As to the latter, we may move to French Creek State Park, 15 minutes away to live until my retirement is final in June. Or just park somewhere quiet and use the park's dump station once a week or so.

However, we are now caught up in that limbo world we remember so well from 17 years ago when we came north.  How to decide what we REALLY want to keep that must truly end up filling only a few easy to carry boxes which our sister and brother, Loretta and Larry Crum, have agreed to store for us till the traveling bug leaves our bodies or, wracked with some chronic ailments, we decide to hang up the steering wheel.

Mona has two boxes (down from 4) of her most precious personals from her BK time (Before Ken) and I have a few drawers and cubby's not yet sorted entirely. She and I both have clothes to sort, and are doing so about 1 item a week, to Goodwill or elsewhere.  And we are taking a small treasure chest of items our kids, or others who have agreed to take them forever from us as gifts on Thanksgiving.

Mona made her last Spanish Paella several weeks ago here at home.  The special pan goes to Chris Shoemaker, who loves to cook and may enjoy creating new dishes in this well used one. Some pictures, a shofar (religious trumpet made of a ram's horn) from Israel, a coffee urn purchased 17 years ago for church parties when Hope Church only had our home to fellowship in between Sundays in very good condition, and whatever else ends up on the kitchen table by Thursday morning.

It was over a year ago that Mona suggested to me that we begin to sort through our many dust catchers and memories to begin eBaying or giving away our collection of clutter.  We may JUST have it all gone, and a little of it boxed for possible opening in our own future: date to be determined, by the time the house sells.

Your prayers for sanity are always appreciated

!

Ken & Mona