Everything Must Go!

The sale was a success today. I didn't make as much money as I had hoped, but I did get rid of almost everything, and was able to wrap up by 1 p.m., so I count it a rousing success.

There were two ladies there at 7:30 a.m. There always are. But I had started putting out the merchandise by about ten after 7, so I was more or less ready for them. They helped me carry out the books and the secretary desk, and one of them bought several items. The early garage sale people are a society unto themselves. They seem to all know each other from other garage sales. A man came up and one of the ladies said "I know him, he only buys electronics." Sure enough, he picked up the digital picture frame I was selling and bought it.

I met a lot of nice people. Especially early in the day. by 9:30 the rush was over, and then it was just trickling through until I sold the larger outdoor furniture at about noon, and the smaller set half an hour later to the colorful woman who lives down the street. She came back a few minutes later and bought Grayson's old dragon costume.

My long-ex, Doug, came by mid-morning to see if I had bookshelves for sale (I didn't). Then stuck around to shoot the shit in the yard for an hour or so. I saw folks I knew from the Arts Institute days, Bo, my old neighbor from 40th street (and pictures of his 1-year-old daughter, who is adorable), and a trio of very nice ladies who took Grayson's first grade workbooks and left me a Jehovah's Witness tract to read. I thanked them nicely, and put it in the recycling bin after they had cleared the premises.

I took advantage of the sitting time to flip through all the remaining magazines on site and toss them, one by one as I finished them, into a pink laundry basket marked "Free Magazines! You Know You Want 'Em". A couple of ladies came and cleaned me out of those, too.

After I shut down the sale I counted the money and headed for Target. I bought a coffee-maker and grinder, a toaster oven, bathroom rugs, a shower curtain, leashes for the dogs, an iron, a cheap set of flatware and assorted kitchen utensils. It was a shopping frenzy. I brought it all home and packed it together in a box marked "New Stuff." Opening it in the apartment will be like Christmas come early.

After that I went to Zorba's and pigged out on Gyro and fries and ice cold beer in a frosty glass. Aaaaah. A reward for a day well spent.

The only casualty of the yard sale was my Obama sign. I had covered it with poster board and put it out on Classen to announce the sale, and though it was still there when I left the house at 1:00, the city had come and pulled it up when I got back around 5. Oh well.

Tonight I do nothing. I may or may not muster enough energy to take a shower. Otherwise it's books and bed for me. I'm beat.