PETS AND PAINT ON A PARTLY PITIFUL DAY

I think everyone expected today to be blazingly hot and wussed out of having their yard sales. The pickings were plum pitiful! I'm awfully glad I didn’t rush to get to the one neighborhood sales advertised on Craigslist. Pulled into the tract and on the first street passed one little boy selling a few toys he had laid out on a TV tray, then around the corner found three houses in a row with sales. As I pulled over to park I heard a shout of, “Mouse Lady!” and there was Nancy, the garager I wrote about back in September (where you can find out why she called me Mouse Lady).

I felt a tad disoriented because I was sure this was not the address where I'd seen her the last time she had a sale. But right away I found out why. “My husband got laid off and our house got flooded—all on the same day,” she told me. Now that was a rough day. “We’re staying here with some friends while the house gets fixed.” The entire downstairs must have mold removed and new drywall. Sounds awful—as does the unemployment.

I also saw another Saturday morning regular whose name I don’t know. She had a hip replaced in June and this was her first day back on the trail. She looked great and said the surgery and recovery had gone very well.

I’ve just decided I have no problems in my life! Secure job, pretty darned good health, nice husband, green convertible, sweet pets. And a delicious dinner in a little while of green beans we actually grew (we’re so proud of ourselves!).

Speaking of the sweet pets…I had to bite my tongue this morning to keep from saying something rude. I was chatting with a couple of guys at their sale about dogs—they had three generations of Golden retrievers hanging out in their garage. Chloe is 11…
…her daughter Jasmine is about 9…
…and Jasmine’s son Andy is 6.
I mentioned that both my dogs are mixes, and that Edward is a Springer/Rottweiler/shepherd mix, which I can never say with a straight face. Sounds like it could be awful, but Edward is a fabbo dog.
And it's okay for me to chuckle over his hybrid parentage, but this guy started going on about what a shame he’s not a purebred Springer. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Springers, but you couldn’t find a better dog than Edward—and he has none of the genetic problems that many breeds display. But I just gave their dogs a final pat and headed off before I said something unbecoming to a Queen—even if my kingdom is only Fifty Cents!

BTW, our Lizzie asks me to thank everyone for their good wishes after her recent surgery, and to let you know that the growth they removed from her mouth was benign. Whew!!
I spent a whopping $3.10 today and brought home:

A Smith & Hawken denim skirt, which I will probably shorten from the waist, as it currently drags the ground.
Still has its embossed hang tag, so must not have been worn. I went to their website when I got home to see how much it would have retailed for, and discovered they have just announced that all their stores will close by the end of the year. No more Smith & Hawken.

Coldwater Creek floral jacket of linen and rayon.

Glass snowman to display at Christmas. Thought it would look cool with a candle inside, but candles need air to burn. I'll have to watch out for some of those little LED candles.

And lastly, a bag of freshly picked lemons. Sorry, no picture, they’re in the fridge! The lady seemed very concerned that I get the fullest bag. I used one on angelhair pasta for lunch and it was so juicy and good!

Didn’t find this at a sale, but my thriftiest treasure of the day arrived in the mail. A couple of weeks ago I ran across an announcement that Glidden was giving away free paint, and I hurried to their website and asked for one.
IIt arrived today, a whole quart of interior latex. No idea what I'll do with it, but surely something will just beg to be painted robin’s egg blue someday soon!