Great birdfeeder, and what a cool idea using the brass handle. Looks like you have lots of birds around,love it! Can't wait to see more of your stuff. I'm looking for just the right wooden ladder for a pot rack,and one for an overhead trellis........one day :)

Is this a cistern...or an old cesspool? That alone might dictate which way to go. The other is whether there is city or well water in the neighborhood - and whether there are any close neighbors. As a real estate appraiser who has valued several "superfund" sites, environmental issues can and do affect value - big time. I've seen situations so bad that the land - a prime, corner retail site in one case - had a *negative* value about double what the land was worth if free and clear, the cost of mitigation being so high. As the recipient of such a dubious 'gift' from the previous owners, you may be able to employ the "innocent landowner" defense if things go bad - legal-wise. You might even be able to get the prior owner to pay for the cleanup - but you have to be able to prove the knuckleheads knew about/caused it. I've seen other cases where parties two or more owners back in the chain of title were held legally responsible, but this was with big corporate entities with deep pockets. You may want to contact an environmental firm and ask for "Phase One" report. Good luck

I do this on a small scale. I love working on all sorts of projects, from furniture to funky clothing/purses, etc. But my apartment is too stuffed as it is. Every year there is a neighborhood wide yard sale on a Saturday in May, and I haul a ton of stuff out to get rid of it. My prices are stupid low -- because I really want to get rid of stuff. I get the fun of finding things, doing something with them -- then I don't have to live with them! I just wish, wish, wish I had some storage/work space. It keeps me from working on larger pieces of furniture. And this neighborhood is sooooo obliging about throwing out near perfect pieces.... One question I have, for those who've done this often; how do you handle taxes? An attorney friend told me that you don't have to declare income from yard/garage sales because the assumption is that you are selling at a fairly significant loss, but when you pay little or nothing for the raw elements, and sell at a reasonable profit -- do you declare the income? Best of luck with your sale, Margo -- and I hope you have many more in the future!

Just today I was reading Michael Chabon's new book of essays, "Manhood for Amateurs," and he was talking about the same issue! His essay is really funny, it's called "The Memory Hole." His technique is similar to what mine was when the kids were small. I would have areas of the house where artwork could be proudly displayed, and then I would tell them I was going to "put away for safe keeping" the older art projects, and I'd store them in a big plastic container in the basement. Then as time went by, I'd select the most meaningful items and transfer those to another container and the "practice items" would mysteriously disappear, ha! Long after they remembered they had labored so hard over a particular creation. (The storage went over OK because I told them that art curators do the same thing.) Of course, the age they are now, it's fun to bring forth some of those efforts and review them, especially when they bring a boyfriend over.