A few cars drive up and the shoppers get out, walk up the driveway with a practiced eye and ask a question perhaps before moving on.  They are all business. We don’t have that perfect bargain apparently. I am still groggy despite coffee, and tired from sorting through the odd boxes and closets, reflecting on the stuff I had largely forgotten, deciding what gets moved on, getting it all arrayed for the Saturday morning garage sale.

It was stressful to have the sale as it reminded me of the pain of packing everything up and moving. But it is a pleasure to see people walk off with their new treasures.

A couple of older fellows with beards stroll by, wander in, suddenly notice the old accordion.  It was an impulse purchase years ago, a lovely old instrument, fixed up with hope.  The friend who offered to teach how to play it noted it was actually for a smaller person, maybe a teen.  Despite a fresh library of enticing little French melodies and “learn to play” booklets, the instrument collected dust.  The shoppers pick it up for a song, with intentions to use it for decoration.

How did we get so many pictures, some beautifully framed, and so many empty frames as well?  Not easy to move. We had laughed when we got the large one titled “Design Defect” with cars falling into water off a broken bridge, behind a couple of engineers examining spec sheets.  A trial lawyer might see the humor.  Who knows why that is the first one for a young man to be drawn to, and even pay a (very small) sum to carry away?

The little girl down the street loves the electronic toy sax with a back beat–I demonstrate with gusto–and her indulgent mom buts it despite the promise of noise, noise, noise.  My cousin’s kid had LOVED the toy when he was a 5-year-old visiting us shortly after we moved to town.  How can he now be over six feet tall, a gainfully-employed young man with a ballerina girlfriend, and that toy was preserved perfectly on a shelf all these years? A couple of new batteries and new 5-year-old and the fun continues.

The family of the tenant’s boss in the Thai restaurant shows up, scouring carefully for bargains.  Bottle and wine openers, kitchen knives, chopstick sets from China all go at a low price.

The woman from Montreal who is traveling the country swoops in for a couple of cushions, a towel, a reed mat, a knife, another wine puller and a wine cooler bag.  All the essentials for her newly-acquired van!

A special heads-up went out to some large-sized friends with interest in Hawaiian shirts and they show up.  Due to previous largesse from Sally’s brother, there was an embarrassment of Tommy Bahama shirts in fabulous silk material but now a couple of sizes too small. We assure the shoppers they look fabulous in them and they get them for a steal.

And so on.  Neighbors, friends and strangers, all ages, so many stories and more I can only imagine. To tell the truth, it was stressful to have the sale as it reminded me of the pain of packing everything up and moving, a memory I usually manage to repress.  But it is a pleasure to see people walk off with their new treasures–and pay us for taking them away.

Near the end of the morning, a couple stops by with their cute little West Highland terrier, a friendly and curious dog who immediately heads to the pile of “dog stuff”, tail wagging.  While her “mother” falls for the doggy Halloween costume of witch’s hat and cape, the Westy noses around busily and picks out the perfect ball.  I throw in an extra one for free. Another happy customer.