Saturday, June 13, 2009

DONUTS AND DACHSHUNDS AND A GREAT BIG Q


I think my memory is getting better. I have a cryptic note from this morning’s garaging that looks like “pot pound” and I've been wracking my brain over what that means. No, I didn’t run across anyone selling pot by the pound out of their garage, or see any cute little children pounding on an old pot (always so much more fun than an expensive toy). After some musing I have finally realized it's supposed to be potpourri—which tells you a lot about both my memory and my handwriting. I ran across someone selling homemade potpourri this morning, which I think is a first in my saling experience. I asked her if she has lots of rosebushes and she said no, just the one. Her rosebush must bloom more prolifically than any I've ever had, or else it took her a long time to gather all those petals!

A few blocks away I stopped at a sale that didn’t have much, but the lady was so darned nice. I asked (as I often do, it's a good ice breaker) if she was having fun, and she said most sincerely that she really was. “I love doing this,” she said, “and getting to say hi to everyone.”

A condo community was having a neighborhood sale, one of those sponsored by a local realtor. Around here this means that the realtor does the advertising and puts out signs, and usually goes around giving donuts to all the participants. I suppose this generates business for them, that folks are more likely to call the realtor who gave them donuts when it comes time to sell their house. So I was in one of the little garages there this morning talking to the two ladies having the sale. A neighbor stopped in and offered them some grocery store donuts, saying that the realtor was nowhere to be seen and it didn’t look like they’d be bringing the donuts around. My goodness, our feathers got fluffed! No donuts! They were being funny about it, but they really did expect their donuts. One of them grabbed her cell phone and called the realtor! Turns out she’d started her donut deliveries in the back of the community rather than the front and would be there in a bit. That sounded better, except… “Oh no, all the good ones will be gone!” said one of my ladies. “Oooh, yeah,” said the other, “nothing but glazed!” A nearby neighbor listening in said, “Could be worse, could be Hostess donuts.” And another called from her garage, “Hey, don’t knock Hostess. I am not picky when it comes to my donuts!”

I was still chuckling over the donut indignation a few minutes later when I ran into the realtor in question. I was talking to another lady about how it's always the thing you think no one will buy that goes first. She said yeah, someone actually bought her painting that was a portrait of her dachshund. In mock horror I exclaimed, “You sold your dog’s portrait?!” (which had us both giggling) when up steps a perky blonde with a stack of Krispy Kreme boxes. She must have heard what I said but not the context (i.e. joking), because she gave me a very startled look. And then of course I kept running into her about six more times. I wanted to tell her to hurry up and get those donuts to the ladies up front before they wore themselves out fretting over them.

At another garage in that community, the husband was standing in the driveway, waving people in. “My wife’s making deals,” he kept calling. “Get in here, there’s a lot to love!” He must have been on autopilot, because even when no one was near he was still barking like a carney.

Actually his wife was making deals, and one of the deals was that petting the dog was free! This is Foxy Brown.


She is a beginning Splash Dog—that sport where the dog leaps from the end of a dock into water. Here’s a film clip, in case you’ve never seen it.

Probably the most unusual conversation I had this morning was with a woman whose husband got a melanoma—in his eye. I've never heard of this, and she said it's very rare. She described the surgery, in which they detached the eye from the muscles and packed it with radiation material for 5 days, then took that stuff out and reattached the eye. (I love the way total strangers tell me the most amazing things.) Her hubby is doing fine. I don’t know whether to be terrified that there’s one more awful thing I never knew about before, or elated at the advances in medical science. Hmmm, it's Saturday, the sun is out…I vote for elated!

I spent $10.50 today and came home with:

A new stock of magazines—fifty in all! The newsstand value would be over $200. Here’s a sample—the rest are all Martha Stewart and Real Simple.
Dachshund bookends
A cute shirt and capris
Seven CDs
Two of the CDs came from a sale that had a handsome dark red coleus by the porch, and I scored a couple of clippings for my garden. Hope they grow—coleus are usually pretty cooperative.
A set of dragons for Chinese New Year. I'll give these to a children’s librarian, won’t they be fun as part of a book display?
Eight really really cute greeting cards, each still in its protective plastic sleeve.



And two shirts. I was looking for heavy t-shirts I can cut up to make my husband new ‘do rags’ to wear when he’s gardening, and these looked like they’d work.

But then when I got home and looked at the gray one, I realized this is on the back:
What else could that Q stand for but Queen of Fifty Cents? So I'm going to remodel the neckline and start wearing it on Saturday mornings. I'll find another tee shirt for Steven’s do rag next week. I can hardly wait to look!

P.S. This has zip to do with thrifting…I've been learning to use our video editing software, and I finally succeeded in putting a film on Youtube! Here’s our cat Noll Baxter in his Youtube debut.


31 comments:

  1. I love the greeting cards! Your cat is so cute :-) I always laugh when I watch a cat playing, they crack me up!

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  2. I love the doughnut saga! Your Chinese dragons are my favourite finds (spot the former primary school teacher).

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  3. I hope Noll Baxter becomes the next viral video sensation. Loved the splash dogs. Oh, you Californians. Foxy Brown is a doll. Happy weekend to you. I'd go with elated.

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  4. You got some nice deals. I love reading your yardsale stories and the video of your kitty is so cute. I did not get out today - bad storms yesterday causing many trees/powerlines down and major power outages so decided not to go roaming around. Thanks for sharing.
    Glenda

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  5. You are so funny! LOVE this video! I always enjoy hearing your garage sale stories too!
    Such amazing people you meet!
    Still chuckling here,
    Kathi

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  6. PS! I would love to have those daschund bookends! Too cute!

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  7. Noll is so cute! did you get the rug at a garage sale too?
    Used the scale for the first time today to send a Fancy Nancy reader to my five year old niece. Had lots of fun scrounging around and using all sorts of odds and ends of old stamps for the postage. Another sort of thrifting!

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  8. Entertaining stories, as always OH Queen! You are too funny. You always find some interesting & unique things too.

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  9. Great stuff! The cards are pretty and the bookends are just adorable! Is Mr. Baxter going to get royalities from his video debut? LOL

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  10. I forgot to say the shirt was meant for you!

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  11. Love all your stories, and your cat is CA-RAZY!! Can't wait to see what you do with that shirt!

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  12. I'm so jealous of your great magazine find! 50 magazines might last me about a week! ;-)

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  13. omg, those doxie bookends, so gunny, they'd look gret on my bookshelf ;)

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  14. That is one crazy cat. LOL!

    Love your finds. Those magazines are awesome.

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  15. I love seeing what you bought while out at the garage sales....but your stories are so wonderful!! You always meet the most interesting people and the cutest little four legged friends. Love the new look of your blog.
    Toni

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  16. haha Love the donut story. I, too, take my donuts very seriously. Nothing but glazed? Oh the horror! (Although I would still eat the glazed). ;) Great finds! Loved the cards!

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  17. Great finds! Love the doggie bookends! ~Rhonda :)

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  18. Love the Dachshund bookends.. oh my gosh too darling!

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  19. Great bargains..you are the Queen of 50Cents! Love the cards!

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  20. you are so funny!! you should write a little book about all your garage sale conversations :) :) they always make me smile. your cat video is totally hilarious too!! oh yeah...your deals....my fave is the "Q" shirt....yay!!

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  21. Omgoodness the little hotdog bookends are just about the cutest things ever!

    I have never heard of melanoma in the eye either. The treatment sounds quite painful. I'm glad to read the fellow is ok.

    Nola

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  22. Great post. I am still chuckling and trying hard not to jiggle the bed and wake hubby. The "you sold your dog's portrait" is too funny. I have a mini dachshund and would have got the bookends for sure!

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  23. I like the idea of wearing that tshirt out yard saling. Looks like you made out good.

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  24. You've renewed my faith in garage sales. Seems the few times in the past I went, the people were rude, the items weren't very nice, etc etc. I usually work Saturday mornings though, but next time I'm off, I'm hitting up some sales.

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  25. Great finds! Cute cards and I am a doxie lover/owner - those bookends are adorable! :)

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  26. Great finds! I want the Doxie bookends.

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  27. What great treasures -- and fun --you found.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and making a nice comment on my post. My daughter is moving to Huntinton each in August. Maybe I'll spot you in your green convertible when I visit the OC!

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  28. I meant Huntington Beach! Darn keyboard! Can't be my typing!

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  29. Oh, what fun you have! I love to visit with the hostess of the garage as well.

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

 
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