You know that loneliness has "set in" when you hit yard sales looking for more than chipped and mismatched sets of glasses and broken toys. This is where I found myself this past Saturday. My neighborhood had their annual community-wide yard sale, and I had my annual pity party. After 6 days of flying solo with both kids, and a lack of conversation involving more than pirates and the Backyardigans I was starting to "lose it". The first stop was at my friend Brandys and yielded a lightly used brand Floppy seat and baby clothes. The second stop was the "motherload" of all yard sales, it boasted previously viewed VHS classics such as: The Wizard of Oz, and Bambi. Within minutes we loaded up our treasures and trekked back home. My son immediately went for the movies (he is his mothers child) and then for the bouncy balls purchased for a mere 10 cents. Those damn choking hazards went missing (and hopefully forever) within the first 2 minutes of returning home.
I remember hazy Saturday mornings spent parusing numerous yard sales in search of unclaimed "treasure". As a child, it always struck me as odd that we would be at a strangers house without a formal invitation nevermind an introduction. And each house, had it's own strange smell. For some it was the heavy aroma of cat urine, and others it would be chemically manufactured roses. It was a good day for me when I could "score" a set of smurfs figurines or a Fashion Plates playset complete with missing outfits and colored pencils.
What still seems to surprise me the most, is how antiquated the concept of yard sales really are, and yet how popular a concept they continue to be. There are not many places left in the US that allow for that type of marketing or bargaining.
Today my hubby returns from his travels, and I return from a yard sale down memory lane.
