Anniversaries and Celebrations

Yesterday was a crisp autumn day, the kind with mellow golden sunlight and bright blue skies.  Our little Virginia town has its annual Fall Harvest Sale on the first Saturday of October, and this year was its 50th anniversary.  There's not much left in our little town. Prospect was a major stop along the Norfolk-Southern railway line from around the time of the Civil War until the 1950's-1960's.  As the town of Farmville grew (because of the two universities there), Prospect declined, and the highways made travel to Farmville easier, so the little shops in Prospect closed up.  All that's left is a custom cabinet maker's shop, the post office, and the fire house.  The old buildings still stand; someone's using them for storage.  The railway depot burned a few years ago, but the High Bridge Rail Trail, built along the old railway line, is a fun place to bike and walk.  They've saved the old doctor's office from the 1800's and a few buildings and moved them to the north side of the trail.  The historical society plans to restore them and open them to the public using the trail to make a point of interest on the route.

As with many small towns, the firehouse is the center of activity.  It's an all-volunteer squad.  The building not only houses our fire engines and rescue equipment, it's also our voting place.  You can tell it's an election day when all the big yellow engines (yes; they're yellow) are moved down the block to the High Bridge Trail Parking Lot, and the firehouse doors are thrown open for all the voters.  Town meetings are also held in the firehouse.

Yesterday, however, was the big event of the year - the Fall Harvest Sale.  The garage where the engines are housed is transformed into a dining hall; the entire town smells like roasting chickens.  Tables are set up along the front and people bring goods for a yard sale.  And in back of the firehouse, lots are left for browsing for the 2pm auction.  The sale raises enough money to pay for the fire services' insurance each year.  According to the newspaper, the very first sale was held 50 years ago.  At auction that first year was a pig.  This year there were no pigs, but lots of used furniture and knickknacks.

I met my friend Patty there and each of us scored some treasures.  I found an old oil lamp, with lamp oil still inside, and my husband collects them, so my purse was $4 lighter immediately.  I also scored two candle stands with hurricane glass lanterns on top; these will also come in handy the next time we lose electricity!  Patty's animals lucked out with two new metal dog food bowls.  And the bake sale? Don't get me started....our local bakers are so talented!  My father in law loves cinnamon buns, so I bought a tray for him.  As of this morning, half the tray is gone and I don't think mice invaded...

I remember vividly the first time we came to the Prospect Fall Havest Sale.  We had just moved in, for October 1 is Seven Oaks' anniversary - our moving day.  Phil, our friend, neighbor and fellow who built our house, urged us to go to the sale; he said it was a good way to get to know the community.  So even though we were bone-tired from moving and I still had mountains of boxes to unpack, we went along and saw part of the auction.  Well-dressed yuppies vied for bids alongside Amish families in their black suits and dresses.  Our town is truly a melting pot of families.

The second year we went to the sale, I found a set of decorative pillows embroidered with cat themes that have taken pride of place in my living room.  Last year, I only found one Christmas ornament to my liking, but this year I felt like I hit the jackpot with those lanterns.

As I walked among the tables, I realized I now knew so many faces....there was the lady I see paying her bills at the post office every Friday.  The woman we bought little things from I'd seen at the Mennonite Church when I go to concerts there on Sunday nights; she smiled and nodded, and I could tell from her eyes that she recognized me too, even though we don't know each others' names.  When we went into the firehouse to shop at the bake sale, my friend said hello to more people....it was the first year I felt truly at home here.

This year we celebrate our third year in Virginia.  John found the first set of photographs we took when we moved in.  We marveled at the bare dirt out front, the unfinished front porch, the empty rooms.  Now we look around and we have a lawn; no more dust bowl when the wind rises.  The shrubs are taking root and the garden continues to evolve.  The orchard trees are now taller than either of us and are starting to take on mature shapes. 

Three years pass quickly.  As we enter autumn again, I am filled with thankfulness for the gift of living in the country, for my neighbors, and for this lovely community.  And thank you, dear readers; this is also the anniversary of this blog.

Happy, happy anniversary to all!