Connie's Corner

Sales

My neighbor across the street in the rental is having a garage sale this morning. Even though the wind is blowing (15-20) and it was pouring rain earlier, on the dot of 8, "junk" is displayed on tables in their driveway and cars are lining up along the curbs.

Garage sales are extremely popular here and I must admit I have been to more than a few. It's rare that I would go to a garage sale with a particular item in mind. Usually, it's a 'something catches my eye' and 'gee, it's so cheap, why not' attitude that brings an item back home with me. In fact, that's how I got interested in a jewelry-making hobby. That was an estate sale. I brought home 3 storage boxes of beautiful beads. I've often wondered about the person who had them before. I know she had other hobbies...or maybe they crossed lines...because there were many dolls for sale. Their costumes were intricately made...and beaded sometimes.

Garage sales, especially estate sales, are great ways to learn about people's lives, too. Where else can you walk all through someone's home, look at all their stuff, and not even know them? And you learn a lot about their relatives, even how much they cared. At some estate sales everything is neat, clean, and arranged to sell. These are usually done by professionals. Some might think the relatives are after top dollar but I prefer to think they care about how the lives of their loved ones are presented. Other estate sales I have been to looked worse than the city dump...do they still have those? Things are scattered everywhere, there is no organization, and the place looks like a pigsty. The new "owner" usually sits out front in a lawn chair collecting the money. And, conversely, these kinds of sales usually have the highest priced items with no haggling.

Now that I'm 70 I wonder about the future of my stuff, how it will be disposed of...not a pretty thought. It makes me want to rid myself of everything now.

until next time...c