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This time of year is ripe not only for reducing our load, but also for acquiring things that need a new home because of someone else's cathartic clean-out. Our search for an estate sale yesterday on Craigslist led us to one that sounded simple yet promising.

Browsing through the "stuff," my boyfriend started seeing clues about the previous owner and the home's history. Turns out we were at the home of renowned Chicago painter Ed Paschke.

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Yellow Fish, 1999
Surprisingly, all the Craigslist ad said was: "Piano, tables, couches, dressers, metal filing cabinets, kitchen ware, kids clothing, tables, beds, televisions, drafting table, art books, Large fabulous china cabinet, rugs, plates, copper pans...".

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Pink Lady, 1970
This stumble into such a rare and wonderful opportunity should remind us all that the rewards from our scavenging are often much more than material. This was truly inspirational! We were able to tour Paschke's former home, see loads of artwork, and walk away with those copper pans, a teapot, and some records, just to name a few things.

Anyone else have some surprising stories or amazing yard/estate sale finds??