On this cold and snowy January day, I was struck by the amount of strangers on our street running in and out of 46 Clarendon Place. A beautiful center entrance green colonial. A house that was always discreetly quiet. Charlotte lived there her whole life with her mother. I knew very little about her. She outlived her mother by only a few years. Rather sad in a sense. Now that she had died and there were no surviving family members around, the house was quietly sold and without warning, estate sale signs came popping up and so did the crowds. As I walked through the house, I relished at all the old fashioned items. It was almost like walking through a museum. She loved literature, Vermont, Wedgwood and fine linen. She liked fine china, crystal and daisy jewelry. It was clear that Charlotte lived tastefully. Estate sales are a little different from garage sales. They can fetch a better price and usually have items available in every room. Estate sales tend to take place for 3 reasons all beginning with D –death, divorce and downsizing. Maybe it’s because I would exchange hello’s with her on the sidewalk, or maybe because strangers were rummaging though her cherished possessions haggling for a lower price, or maybe it made me realize that one day people will be tossing out my things I thought were so prized, but it just simply made me feel forlorn. All of her adored possessions being tagged with 1/2 price after 12 noon today signs. Life is fleeting. Another reminder on a snowy cold January day. RIP Charlotte.

Tags : estate sales