Hi, thanks everyone, glad you like my garden. The trellis is holding this clematis, one of the reasons I picked blue for the pots. Of course, its all done blooming for now. On another note: I have no idea what shape all this will be in when I return. My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer yesterday, and will be having surgery tuesday. I will be there for at least a month taking care of her. My mother is 81 and until thursday still worked. She is a Hospice care worker, taking care of terminal patients. She has done this for over 40 years. She is truly one of God's angels, and has made life a little better for everyone that she's touched. Now its my turn to care for her, as much as I can, and get her back on the road to health. So, I will deal with whatever happens to the yard while I'm gone.

Here an estate sale is considered an indoor with outdoor items perhaps. Almost everything in the house is for sale and tagged. Usually by someone in the estate sale business. Things are clean and as I said tagged. Usually large items will have a sign saying they will take bids on them - if applicable. Prices are firm until the last day and usually on that morning things are 25% off and later in the day maybe after 11 they go half price. on a big sale the place iscleared out before the 1/2 price goes into effect and then people are let back in. The prices range from the perceived value of the item. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. People line up well before the usual 8 am opening to get in. Most of our sales are run by two popular Estate sale agents and their crews. A tag sale might be in the empty house or just items already priced If you have a lot of stuff it might be well to contact an agent in your community. It might be worth it just to avoid the hassles and headaches and they are usually responsible for everything. One of the most disgusting "estate sales" I went to was run by the family and they had their bed ridden aged mother in the living room watching people go thru her stuff while the family sat around drinking coffee.

I live in Appalachian Ohio in mine country, and in some parts of our county you need a rider for mines on your home owner's policy. I have to have one at a property I own in town since that section was built over old mines. I also have an old coal bank on my rural property. It was mined privately by an individual, by pick and I'd expect it not to have conventional looking excavating, either. There may be no rhyme or reason why this wasn't just filled in and a piece of wood thrown over it and left to rot. It could be anything, actually including an old dug well or spring or rain water cistern where the bricks had been removed and used for landscaping or something, lol. That's almost the exact measurements for my spring cache basin near the house.

DH and I were just talking about how all the chestnut trees on the farm were lost to blight back in the day. :( They are very, very rare in their native, historic US locations. (I read where a couple mature ones have been found, and one the DNR didn't report its discovery for 8 years.) Were it me I'd treat this as a precious treasure that can't be readily replaced. And a most excellent score! :) As a side note, I have a head board that didn't want to attach to the frame properly. I ended up just propping it against the wall with the bed bracing it. It's in the guest room and sits perfectly fine that way, no slipping or anything.