On Saturday, we held a yard sale. It was a brisk, early spring morning - a bit too early spring for a yard sale, and a bit too early morning for me, but the urge to de-clutter Right Now cannot be denied, and no other free weekend presented itself anytime soon. It wasn't about the money or the stuff. It was mostly about getting the stuff out to people who will enjoy it for a while, and throwing in a little lesson for Dear Daughter about entrepreneurship and counting change. The morning yielded a bit over $100, and a whole lot less stuff - the rest went to Good Will this morning. Yard sales are a win-win. I'm free of stuff and clutter. I feel so enterprising. And most of all, some nice new and people now have my treasures in their good homes.
There was the Early Bird mom who got here around 8:30. From Utah, she and family are staying temporarily on Capitol Hill in a furnished, but lacking-in-character, home. Presumably on a Mormon mission, she said she had kids of "varying ages." The Early Bird did indeed get the worm...errrr...some of the best goods - a kids dominoes set and a memory game, a clock puzzle, a doctor kit, and some books.
A young woman and her Spaniard boyfriend in his Real Madrid shirt purchased a set of four crisp white porcelain cups and saucers in which I imagine they will enjoy some strong coffee on late weekend afternoons. A young Urban Greenster couple biked over - she sporting her "Stop Greed" pin on her tweed-y jacket - bought four russet-colored woven placemats, four cloth napkins in tones of green and brown, and an ecru-colored pottery serving bowl with a deep blue abstract bird design. A gorgeous combination! - wish I had thought of it myself - and sure to be a hit at their next vegetarian potluck dinner party.
Two African-American women in their 50's came to admire my collections of African textiles - batik-ed table cloths, woven mats, brightly printed cloth, and gauzy scarves. They bought almost all of it plus an ugly mint-green bathroom rug - and since they came late in the morning, they filled several bags of such treasure for $10.
Another young couple arrived on their bikes. He had a scraggly reddish beard and olive green jacket, and asked me about my Peace Corps days. She told me she was of Vietnamese descent, and bought a children's book in English and Vietnamese about a frog and an umbrella - she said it was "for someday." They are just at the beginning of their couplehood. They also bought three African cookbooks - that frankly have a lot of repeat recipes, and from which I've cooked less than a handful of meals over two handfuls of years. I hope those books get some cook-stained memories at last.
An older African-American man, his feet swollen from diabetes or hypertension, shuffled off with my swivel office chair that lost its back a few months ago. While a white-haired white guy, bought my Africa tome - historical and political essays. I asked for a dollar, but he gave me two.
A few other people bought a few other things, each one sauntering off with her find..."at such a good price." And I'm doing some sauntering myself - a little richer, a little less encumbered, and very pleased that some of my good stuff found good homes.
There was the Early Bird mom who got here around 8:30. From Utah, she and family are staying temporarily on Capitol Hill in a furnished, but lacking-in-character, home. Presumably on a Mormon mission, she said she had kids of "varying ages." The Early Bird did indeed get the worm...errrr...some of the best goods - a kids dominoes set and a memory game, a clock puzzle, a doctor kit, and some books.
A young woman and her Spaniard boyfriend in his Real Madrid shirt purchased a set of four crisp white porcelain cups and saucers in which I imagine they will enjoy some strong coffee on late weekend afternoons. A young Urban Greenster couple biked over - she sporting her "Stop Greed" pin on her tweed-y jacket - bought four russet-colored woven placemats, four cloth napkins in tones of green and brown, and an ecru-colored pottery serving bowl with a deep blue abstract bird design. A gorgeous combination! - wish I had thought of it myself - and sure to be a hit at their next vegetarian potluck dinner party.
Two African-American women in their 50's came to admire my collections of African textiles - batik-ed table cloths, woven mats, brightly printed cloth, and gauzy scarves. They bought almost all of it plus an ugly mint-green bathroom rug - and since they came late in the morning, they filled several bags of such treasure for $10.
Another young couple arrived on their bikes. He had a scraggly reddish beard and olive green jacket, and asked me about my Peace Corps days. She told me she was of Vietnamese descent, and bought a children's book in English and Vietnamese about a frog and an umbrella - she said it was "for someday." They are just at the beginning of their couplehood. They also bought three African cookbooks - that frankly have a lot of repeat recipes, and from which I've cooked less than a handful of meals over two handfuls of years. I hope those books get some cook-stained memories at last.
An older African-American man, his feet swollen from diabetes or hypertension, shuffled off with my swivel office chair that lost its back a few months ago. While a white-haired white guy, bought my Africa tome - historical and political essays. I asked for a dollar, but he gave me two.
A few other people bought a few other things, each one sauntering off with her find..."at such a good price." And I'm doing some sauntering myself - a little richer, a little less encumbered, and very pleased that some of my good stuff found good homes.
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