It was that time of year when Garage Sale signs start popping up all over.
We girls had decided that it was time to do some spring cleaning and empty those cupboards and closets for a sale. The venue would be Janine’s driveway, so on the day of the event the Tuesday girls set up a dozen or so tables and, shivering in the wee hours with some good coffee, waited for the hoards to arrive.
Meanwhile, each of us inspected what was up for sale on other people’s tables. Mootsie liked a prayer rug I had decided didn’t fit with my decorating, and I liked a couple of things on her table. It made perfect sense to us to just swap. I noticed this practice was going on all over Janine’s back yard until there was a huge pile of stuff in the house that was no longer for sale.
Swapping amongst us was a flurry of activity, and when we were finished, what was left was really just a bunch of junk. But you know what is said about trash and treasure…
Our newspaper ad had specified, “no early birds,” but of course no one ever pays attention to that. One early shopper made a pile in Janine’s front yard while there was still frost in the air. We were all in the house with our newly traded bounty, so we watched him from the window as he examined what was left and, in some cases, put things back on the table with obvious disdain. Was it the price? Suddenly, we became protective of our useless stuff, and nodded in agreement that garage sales were dumb.
We decided that organizing a garage sale took just too much effort. So, Cara suggested we choose a theme once in a while, and everyone just bring one or two things to swap within our group: jewelry, handbags, knick-knacks. Our first theme was to be serving pieces. Now who among us didn’t have a useless serving piece? That would be me.
Then Marissa got onto a jag about a “hen” shaped deviled egg plate that her sister had, and said that her sister didn’t even like it until Marissa expressed an interest in owning it. An hour later, Marissa was still talking about that hen platter, so I got my iPad and started an ebay search for one and, with Eva looking over my shoulder laughing, I found one! While Marissa was sitting across from me chatting on about the hen and its attributes, I ordered it and, for a mere $8.00, I had a serving piece to swap. Unknown to her, she was about to become the proud owner of a deviled egg dish in the shape of a hen.
And you remember the early bird who made his pile in Janine’s front yard? He skipped without paying. Garage sales are dumb.
See you next Tuesday!
Clair Butler blogs for JenningsWire
