Get Up and Run, Girl!

It's a good thing I'm not in this garaging game just for the stuff, because some days you hardly find a cotton pickin’ thing! But you just about always can find a good story, and those don’t cost a dime.

The first sale I stopped at today had nothing I wanted, but when I headed back to my car I saw a tiny, mysterious tin pail with three little red roses in it, sitting on the sidewalk.

There were quite a few sales today, but all I spent was a whopping dollar seventy five! Had several good car conversations though, including the one with the couple who both drive convertibles (as I do). We stood there in the morning sunshine admiring our three cars and saying that no matter where we’re going in them we always feel like we’re on vacation. The lady told me that after a long day at work she gets in her car, puts the top down and doesn’t feel like she was at work anymore. Amen, sister.

Petted a sweet yellow lab, Grace, and then a couple of streets later a cat named Gracie. The lady at that house gave me a baggie with some of the catnip she grows. I said I'd never had any luck with it and she said she grows it in a hanging basket. Oh boy, an excuse to go to a nursery! (Nurseries are about the only retail establishments other than the grocery store that I go to anymore. Hey, I found some chocolate mint to plant in the vintage candy tin I got last week!)

A couple of sales had signs that said, “Everything $1.00” on tables of stuff. I mentioned that there’s a difference between everything for a dollar and anything for a dollar. Both times the guy blinked and said, hey, you’re right, though one went on to say that by this time in the morning he probably would sell everything on the table for a dollar.

I'm happy with what my $1.75 got me:
Half a pack of high quality photo paper, and another video for our collection of 500+…

…a black pot with an interesting shape, and a ridiculous spider that bounces on the end of an elastic rope. He will be a door prize for a children’s librarian soon. I'm afraid of spiders, but even I can't be afraid of this guy.

And I love this bowl, wonderful colors. The one I eat my oatmeal from every morning is cracked, so I'm happy to replace it before it gives up the ghost and deposits my oatmeal in my lap some day.

Heard my favorite story of the morning at almost the last place I stopped. Another shopper was looking at some pins on a table and asked how much they were. The seller, an older black gentleman, said, “Those Olympics pins? Those are two dollars. I was a tour guide at those Olympics in Los Angeles.” He paused a moment, then went on, “Did you see that girl fall that time?” The shopper said no. “Well, she was right by me, and I told her, get up and run, girl, get up and run!”

The little wooden toy I got last week has been getting to know some of his garage sale brethren on a shelf in my workroom. He hangs out with this great vintage china dog that I think looks like one of James Thurber’s dog drawings…

…and this funny wooden game—you roll a small ball and whichever little guy it hits spins around. Aren’t their expressions great? Bought it a couple of years ago for a whopping twenty five cents.

I do love Saturday mornings!