IT PAYS TO SHOP ON DRIVEWAYS!

What a perfectly beautiful Saturday. The kind of morning the rest of the world thinks we have in southern California all the time. Which I'm sorry to say is not true. Yes, the climate is benign, but we have a lot of gray days this time of year. But not today. It's even getting warm enough that I had my first dip in our (unheated!) pool. Those gasps you heard were mine—but after the first shock it's wonderful.

I headed a bit further west than usual today for a neighborhood sale, since the pickings were a bit slim. I don’t think of Mother’s Day as one of those holidays that affects garaging, but I may have to reconsider that. Pickings were definitely thin, but I came out on the upside, as I will explain in a moment.

Gardens were in full bloom.
These roses were stunning; I love the bold color combination of the red with the orange nasturtium and purple lavender (didn’t get much of that in the picture). When I complimented the homeowner on her beautiful yard, she told me it had come with the house, all they had done was take out a few things that were too crowded. I hope she realizes how lucky she is!

Met a few cute dogs. One was a large, handsome white Lab who greeted me cordially. I got out my camera to take his picture and he immediately turned and walked away. Must have been pestered by paparazzi in the past. But the others were confined, so I got my shots. Cisco here is the only one whose name I remember.
This little Bichon did a wonderful dance for me, up on his hind paws and waving the front ones—until I pointed the camera.
These two little guys were at the sale where you got a free gift with any purchase.
You had your choice of a glass of punch, or a stick of cotton candy. Back behind the dogs, a guy was standing at a cotton candy machine, making it fresh. I can't say I was tempted by either treat!

I was also not tempted by this teapot.

I love teapots, and I really love M&Ms, but an M&M teapot? A patriotic M&M teapot? I always reflect with amazement when I see something like this that someone actually designed it—and convinced someone to manufacture it. And someone bought it…probably for a gift, right?

Hmm, hope I haven’t insulted all the M&M memorabilia collectors who read my blog. Don’t hate me, I respect your passion. Just give me the candy and you can have the teapots.

At another sale I overheard a man ask how much a framed mirror was. “Two dollars,” said the wife. The husband laughed and joshed, “Two, that’s a bargain. I was going to say two hundred.” The guy looking at the mirror didn’t miss a beat. He pulled out two ones and said, “I was going to bargain you down to a hundred.”

I chatted with another woman while perusing her sale. When I finished I said heck, didn’t find anything I needed—but at least my husband would be happy. She said something about husbands, and I told her mine is really very good. About the only thing he ever says, no matter what I bring home, is “Where are you going to put it?” As soon as I started the line, she was saying it with me and cracking up. “There was a woman here earlier,” she said, “and she asked me how much that dresser is. Her husband was still in the car, not even looking at her, and I heard him say ‘where are you going to put it.’” We both laughed, and she added, “He sure didn’t miss the husband meeting!”

So now we know, there’s a training session they’ve all been to!

Speaking of husbands, we had our 38th anniversary this week. I'm sure you’ll be glad to know we’ve decided to go for another year.

I think I actually came out ahead this week, spending-wise. First, I didn’t buy much. Still trying to remember the “is it really good and will you use it?” test, though I admit the usefulness of some of today’s finds remains to be seen. I have a weakness for vintage linens, like these two dresser scarves with their hand crocheted edgings.






This jar of buttons…okay, pure self indulgence.
I don’t expect the contents will prove earthshaking, though there were some nice coat buttons and these cute ladybugs (just a tad over a quarter of an inch long) on top of the stash.
The jar itself, made in France and impressed with “Le Parfait Super” on the lid, is worth what I paid.
But the real fun comes when I settle down and dump everything out, then start looking at the buttons. I'll come to some time later, feeling I've just had a deep meditative experience.

My last purchase was purely practical—and something that was on my grocery shopping list for today.
So here’s how I figure the math. I was planning to buy cupcake papers at the 99 Cent Store. Must be at least 75 left in this in this package, for a dime. So I saved ninety cents there. Plus, I found a quarter at the gas station. I spend a total of $1.10 at yard sales. I came out ahead, by at least fourteen cents, yes? Yes!