Saturday, January 15, 2011

WHY WE SHOP ON DRIVEWAYS

Oh, we claim it’s for the thrill of the hunt, but really, we shop on driveways so that we don’t have to mourn too much when an investment goes bad.

Sometimes it’s an item that looked okay on that driveway, but when you got home you had second thoughts. Perhaps a piece of clothing didn’t fit, or turned out to have a spot you didn’t notice. You sigh, put the thing in the donation box out in the garage, and move on.

And sometimes it’s an item that got rained on.

A lot.

Really a lot.

Like the gazebo we bought last year.

IMG_6819Which didn’t much care for that rain storm we had back in December (the one that lasted days and days).

IMG_9871  Which now looks like this.

IMG_9946 Is that sad or what?

At least we didn’t pay a retail price tag. I’m really sorry it got ruined, but it sure does take some of the sting out to lose something that cost $35 instead of $300 or more. Of course it was the single most expensive thing I bought on a driveway in 2010.

Sigh.

Oh well. It’s only stuff, after all, not something truly valuable like a husband or a cat or a dog. Who were also not happy during that storm. My cat Noll kept insisting I let him go out, and when the door was opened and he saw the rain, he would go to another door, hoping it wouldn’t be raining over there. And my dog Lizzie does not care to get her enormous paws wet. She would go to the edge of the patio, swing her butt out over the grass and pee, then run back in.

Today must have been our reward for enduring all that rain. Sunny, in the low 80s. I know, all of you in cold places no longer feel sorry for the loss of my gazebo!

Met a couple of friendly dogs. I heard mournful whining from a back yard and asked the lady still setting up her sale what kind of dog she had. “He’s a chow, but he thinks he’s a Labrador,” she said. Usually chows are pretty standoffish, but she was right, this guy was definitely a retriever wannabe.

IMG_9933His name is Yogi, as in Yogi Bear. “He came with that name,” she told me. “I wanted to name him Thread Bear.” We both snickered. This is the least threadbare creature I’ve ever seen.

A little later I met Besos.

IMG_9936Yup, that is Spanish for kisses. You can guess why.

The pickings were slim this morning, spent a whole $2.75, and only one thing will stay with us—this decanter.IMG_9940 The cute rabbit in a hat puppet will be a prize for a children’s librarianIMG_9943 and my mother will get the vintage embroidery transfers.IMG_9944 My brother in law Bob asked me to keep an eye out for leather items he can cut up for some projects he’s doing, and I found the first one today.IMG_9938At my last stop, a guy was looking for blankets and other linens to donate to dog rescue groups. His pickup was emblazoned with signage about wolfdog rescue. I heard him agree when someone at the sale asked him, “Don’t you live over on Labrador?” Struck me as funny. But hey, I’m easy.

17 comments:

  1. Sorry about your gazebo. :( May you find another at a screaming thrift deal. :)

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  2. Still you found some good items today. The rabbit in the hat is really cute. Sorry about your gazebo but I'm wishing you good luck finding another one along with Leah! Hugs,
    Linda

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  3. wow, the weight of the water collapsed it??? wow.
    No yard sales for me today; had hubby in tow and I dont let him stop at Model Train stores, and he dont let me stop at yard sales. ;)
    it's ok, I dont see him on Saturday mornings very often, and I was glad for the company!

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  4. I think you have a point. The top I bought in a charity shop the other day has shrunk in the wash. Ah well, at least the charity got a donation when I bought it.
    Sorry about your gazebo. We have a swing seat that's looking a bit worried.
    Thanks for the laugh with your cat going to different doors. If only! xx

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  5. don't you love it when our friends ask us to look for things for them. It's one of my greatest pleasures of thrifting. I love the Martha transfers, I've never seen a package so old before.

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  6. You can still use the frame on that gazebo. Just purchase some of that green shade screen and use zip ties every 6 inches to hold it nicely in place. I've done it, its somewhere on my blog. Or, you could use sheets for a "summer time only" shade. Could be fabulous!

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  7. Yeah, I agree with you about the sting of a purchase gone bad! When its only a couple of bucks, its not so bad :-) Maybe you can collect some palm fronds and turn your gazebo into a tiki lounge! I'm glad the rain is over too!

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  8. Great post! Amusing from start to end!

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  9. Oh, I'm sorry about your gazebo! I ruined a skirt I bought for a couple of bucks at a garage sale by trying to remove some glue that was on it. I ended up creating a rather large hole. LOL!

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  10. I love the transfers too. Only thing is I can remember buying them new! My age is definately showing. Sorry about the rains. At least it isn't snow. We're expecting 1-3 inches but there are still moving sales out there to visit. Yay!

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  11. Sorry you lost gazebo. You sure had good lucK on the vintage transfers.

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  12. Sorry about the gazebo, but looks like you did pretty well with the other things.

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  13. Amen on the $35 vs $300 - sigh - it really was a beautiful tent! :( Nancy

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  14. The gazebo is not a total loss. You can still use it by draping it with material or painters' drop cloths. The rabbit in the hat is too cute! I would have found the comment amusing too.

    ~ Tracy

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  15. For some reason i clicked on here thinking this would be about a driveway

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    1. Would have titled it "Shopping FOR Driveways" in that case! ;o)

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I really love your comments. Thanks for coming along on my thrifty adventures!

 
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