About

This picture was taken January 16, 2009. It shows some of the boxes that were in the attic.

I would like to tell you a little about the Mystical Mansion and who I am. First of all, the complete story would take very long, so I will just hit the highlights.

I became acquainted with this great lady that lived in California that was moving to this neat old mansion in Mississippi. She had been a Holistic Doctor for around 30 years and former owner of a few stores in California. She told me that she needed someone to sell her collectibles, etc. on eBay. Well, we did actually meet on eBay, but that is another story. After many messages and phone conversations, I decided to go to work for her. As an experienced gardener I thought it would be great fun to have such a large yard to play in. She wanted me to go to Mississippi and get the mansion ready for her and start selling on eBay. I had been living in Minnesota for a year, and dreaded the thought of going through another winter there. It was in hardiness zone 3, for crying out loud! Her mansion was in zone 8 and that just made my decision to move there much easier!

Well, she let her employee go in California, so she decided she wanted me to move there first and help finnish packing and do whatever else she needed me to do first. So, I went to California instead. I was so anxious to get to Mississippi and the NEW yard it was almost torture! Suzanne was a very wonderful lady and we had allot of entertaining stories for each other. We didn’t get to Mississippi until mid-December.

It was around 8 PM when we flew into a small airport in Greenville. Suzanne had her head between her legs all the way from Memphis. She hated flying and it was bad enough getting her on the larger plane…she had to see a hypnotist before we left California! Then getting on the much smaller plane…It was bad enough for me. We also had her German Shepherd flying with us.

Now, she had told me she had 12 truck loads of furniture and collectibles, etc. sent to the mansion. I thought she was exaggerating. There were still three 10 x 20 foot storage units in California, and when the movers came to load, they told me they had moved 12 loads and another company had moved 2 before them. Then after that, another load went. That makes 15 truck loads!!! 13 of the loads were in the mansion! So, I was overwhelmed to say the least. Now, I really had no idea what to expect! They told me the that the house was completely full and they could not get anything else in it. We had to rent storage units in Mississippi for their load.

When we arrived at the airport in Greenville, we went into the airport and there wasn’t hardly anyone there. The two guys inside asked how we were going to get home… I told them I was going to call a taxi. They looked at each other and back at me. I thought to myself “don’t tell me there isn’t a taxi.” Well, they called this fellow and he took us home. When we arrived at the mansion, it was dark and cold. The driver went inside with us and we entered through the side door which led us to the breakfast room. It only had a table and chairs in it… I thought it was going to be full (I thought to myself). To the left was a door that led to the kitchen and there was a closed door in front of us. We found the light switch in the breakfast room, thank goodness, and opened the other door…

It was a shocker! In front of was the den…stacked clear to the ceiling with furniture and boxes. We turned right and went toward the french doors that led to the entry way. The first room we came to, on the left, was the library. It was FULL to the ceiling. The dining room, parlor, living room, and two sunrooms in the first floor…all FULL. We went up stairs and the two bedrooms on the right were basically empty. The sunroom off the front bedroom, however, was full. On the other side were two other bedrooms, two sunrooms, and a kitchenette…ALL FULL! Now, mind you, we are going through the house with a single flashlight the driver had brought in with him. Next, we went up the stairs to the attic!!! The shock of what was up there it still etched in my memory! It was FULL, and I mean FULL, or 30 and 50 gallon plastic storage containers. I would say anywhere from 400-500. Who could possibly imagine that?!?!

Well, the driver left, I went upstairs and prepared the bed that has already been set up in the front bedroom for her, and I went to the other bedroom and made a spot on the floor. I wanted to go to the backyard, but I held it in till the next day.

I was up fairly early because I had to go see the yard. I went downstairs, through the kitchen to the laundry room. I went outside and saw there was a building in th backyard… I guess it was a workshop, and it was pretty big. I opened the sliding door, and almost passed out! IT WAS FULL!!! The yard in that area was grown up in vines, all over the ground, the trees… GEEZ! I walked across the backyard and saw this old covered patio, falling in, with an old BBQ pit on one end. The open area in the back yard was covered with weeds, this stuff I had been told in Minnesota was Creeping Charlie (but I don’t really think that is the real name). The trees along the side of the back yard and along the fence were covered with Trumpet Vines… There was an area probally 30′ x 40′ that was so full of it you couldn’t even see the trees or anything! Going through the gate that leads to the front of the house, to the left all the way to the sidewalk, was Trumpet Vines in the trees… This area is probally 40′ x 100′ or so. There was also Vinca minor on the ground. Along the sunroom was Vinca minor. I think they should have named it Vinca major pain! There was Holly, at least 5 feet tall along the front porch. There was a hedge around 10 feet tall along the other side of the yard. The lawn was nothing but chickweed. On the back of the property along the side street was a two-story rental in much need of repair.

One reason I am doing this blog is to keep a record in stories and pictures, of the mansion, the yard, and the garden. I invite anyone to experience this with me, and share their comments, give advice, etc. Enjoy!

This page has the following sub pages.

• About Me, and a little extra