Making a home

I almost wish we had bought an old house that had an attic jammed full of random junk and treasures. It's one of my deepest pleasures, rooting through old things and imagining the stories behind them. Our new house is mostly bare, full of echoes, but imagine my surprise when we found that the previous owner was not returning for the things she had left behind.

Treasures:

• good clay pots--tons of them, large and small: I can already envision tomatoes and herbs
• a huge oriental rug (at least 8 by 12 feet)
• a cast iron decorative table on the deck
• flower boxes

Junk:

• 2 boxes of Christmas lights
• a child-sized foam mattress
• a beat-up basketball hoop

Dubious value:

• a multi-purpose weight machine
• eighties-style sconces (saved from the junk list because their function is useful)
• a creaky outdoor playset