Refuge Farms (www.refugefarms.org)

This Sunday is the 50% Off Sunday at Refuge Farms. Have I lost it? What in the world am I talking about? We’re selling the horses????

No, silly! This Sunday is the 50% Off Sunday of the 4th Annual Antique & Garage Sale. Every spring, The ‘Other’ Herd works hours and hours and hours to gather, clean, sort, price, display, and then polish items that we’ve accumulated in our own attics and items donated for this event. We then offer these items to the public at our Antique & Garage Sale for the money to help support The Herd.

Let me be the first to tell you - it’s a ton of work. I am sincere and mean it when I say we have over 80 hours of time in to just cleaning and sorting the piles of boxes! Then we begin to resort and display. Tons of work. But we do it! Willingly and with humor.

And that’s where my admiration just swells up in my chest and I simply stand and shake my head. We believe in our Missions that much. We love The Herd that much. We truly see and feel the Magic that much. And we want to make a difference that much.

Hours and hours are spent by many hands to do whatever it takes to prepare. Canopies to set up and anchor against the wind. Boxes to sort and pile – moving them yet once more!!! Glassware to clean. Bikes to clean. Toys to clean. Books to sort. And then more books to sort! Perennials to pot and mark with their identification tags. Oh, please do not underestimate the work needed to get ready for such a large garage sale!

But show up, they do! And smile they do! And set an example they do! We treat everyone with respect and help all of our shoppers to their vehicles with their packages. We tell them of our Missions and invite them back to visit during public hours. In fact, at last year’s event, Kate and Mary were two of our shoppers and they both are now two of The ‘Other’ Herd! See? Magic even at a garage sale!

So I must go and get back to the sale. We have much to do before we reopen this morning. The wind has shifted and picked up – 30 mph gusts! The temp has dropped 30 degrees - we were overheating yesterday and today we are wearing our winter jackets! But we will be resorted and redusted and rearranged so our guests will find the neat and clean and safe surroundings that are what we are.

If you haven’t made it to The Sale yet, you’re missing it! Not just the bargains, of course. You are missing a chance to meet some great people – a crew of people who work so hard to make a bit of monies to use for The Herd. What a crew! What a Mission!

Enjoy the journey of each and every day,
Sandy and The Herd