When you buy an old house like we did — built circa 1870 — you might find that much was left behind, whether furniture deemed too difficult to move or things merely forgotten by previous owners. There’s all the extra floor tiles and trim ends, of course, and there are the half-empty paint cans some of which only match rooms that have long since been repainted. There might even be valuables left around, although we’ve not found any gold bars or spare copies of the Declaration of Independence (yet). We have been blessed, though, with some scattered modern Ukrainian coinage and a basement find of an antique, yet functional, sled.
These strange days of Coronavirus closures and cancellations have forced changes to many of our plans. This Spring was to see us having a massive yard sale to pass along some of the stuff that was left to the house as well to jettison the jetsam of our own lives. The yard sale alternative fitting these times has proven successful; the online marketplace and socially-distant trades. Our spring cleaning has followed this pattern: the internet has connected us with buyers (and takers in the case of giveaways through freecycle.org). We then leave the item on the front porch with a mason jar for the payment. Sometimes distracted, we don’t even see the person make the pick up. And suddenly the item is gone, replaced with Hamiltons or Jacksons.
Spring cleaning has opened up more and more space in our house to host Appalachian Trail hikers. And there is life coming back to the trail. We had our first guest of the season stay just recently – a doctor from WV. Our second, third, and fourth guests came together and even contributed to working on projects. And while the project list seems to grow and grow, much progress has certainly been made; maybe even more than expected because of the extra at-home time this Spring.
When you do your Spring cleaning this year, might you be on the look out for spare umbrellas for us? Our hiker guests go on foot (naturally) to the general store or restaurant in our village. When it is raining, they must bear it or wait it out. So we’re looking to stock a basket with loaner umbrellas for them. Oh, and we’re also looking for phone chargers of all types. Contact the PMU Office to send them our way! Thanks.
Pray for our work and our mission as we point hikers to the path of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
