Open for Business

It’s probably indicative of something I don’t want to think about that Nyel could decide at 7:00 a.m. yesterday that he was going to have a garage sale and by 9:00 a.m. had tables set up, prices assigned, and all manner of weird stuff on display. Like, why do we have all this stuff anyway? Why didn’t it get pitched or recycled or, as they now say ‘repurposed,’ long ago?

I vacillated between wanting to totally disassociate myself from the entire operation and my desire to schmooze with the passers-by and try to figure out why in the world they seemed so delighted to pay good money for those ‘treasures.’ “A whole dollar for THAT?” I kept asking myself. But I tried to keep chastity-of-the-face while I took their money and chit-chatted about this and that.

Oysterville Treasures?

Actually, I rather like that aspect of having a garage sale – the schmoozing part. Invariably we meet interesting people and often reconnect with locals who we haven’t seen in ages. But I always have a sense of embarrassment about the weird assortment on display. And then there’s that inexplicable sense of loss about items that were once important in our lives or in the lives of my parents or grandparents.

It’s not that we are giving up anything that we can utilize now or even in the future. And it’s not that they are items of historic or monetary or sentimental value. It’s just that niggling feeling that ‘maybe we shouldn’t be letting go of that after all’ when a stranger expresses delight with whatever it is. Really a stupid reaction, but… there it is.

Milk Bottle Vases

On the flip side, unlike Nyel I get very little pleasure out of going to garage sales or junk stores. Except when we go with our friends Paul and Lana Jane. They always see the craziest, most interesting things and know just who might ’need’ (usually NOT!) whatever-it-is. Although, a couple of years ago Paul brought me several teeny tiny milk bottles he’d found at his favorite second-hand emporium. Those little bottles are on my dining room table at this very minute, full of bright yellow dahlias reminding me of the Brents and bargain hunting in Seaside!

Nyel will be at his post again today. He made almost ninety dollars yesterday and is feeling mighty smug! I am just a bit fearful that he considers all those crumpled bills his garage sale stash and will be out combing the peninsula for replacement treasures before the season is over. The garage sale season, that is.