Sale time!

This is the weekend for the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Garage Sale. Eastmoreland is an upscale neighborhood near Reed College. These are people who re-do their decor every five years or so. People who take up hobbies, have the funds to invest in really good supplies, then lose interest. People who can afford nice things, then get tired of them and want to reploace them with more nice things. People who have killer prices on their garage sale items. There will be about 140 houses selling things. I am looking for fabrics and yarns, (of course)and tea cups. I will tow a rolling suitcase to carry my swag. I have allotted myself one hundred dollars and no, absolutely no, flat out NO MORE! In fact, I am going to break it into $20s and hide them here and there about my person to give me more time to consider my purchases. My inner magpie is throwing a highland fling of glee.

I will wear comfy sneakers. First and foremost, you must take care of your feet. I have had episodes when my feet gave out while I still had money to spend. Tragic! I will stick three bottles of water and a banana in the rollie. Kids will have lemonade and cookie stands all along the way and will make you pay through the nose! A buck for a single chocolate chip cookie? Hey, they're little kids, and the cookie (after a morning of walking and shopping) looks so yummy! Even if I know that mom bought 2 dozen of the cookies for $5 at the bakery, I am still willing to pay a buck apiece when I get hungry enough.

The weather is going to be sunny and warm. I will wear a sun hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and my cargo pants. And maybe my vest. My photojournalist vest. The one with 27 pockets. It has so many pockets that it has a map of the left side pockets printed inside the right-side front, and a map of the right side pockets printed inside the left side front.

I will take my camera. There will be people with kids in wagons. There will be people with kids in strollers. There will be people with dogs of all sizes. There will be people on bicycles hauling trailers. There will be photo opportunities. There always are.

We are going with RW and MJ. We will get maps listing the various items for sale and make tactical strikes, sweeping through the neighborhood like Atilla and the Huns. (Remember, First you pillage. THEN you burn!) If I have any money left, I might go back on Sunday and haggle. "This is lovely! What will you do with it if you can't get this price? Would you consider letting it go for ....? ON the last day of a sale, it usually works. People are sick of the whole boiling and can't stand the idea of packing things away again. I once got a magnificent sideboard for $100 because we had the truck and could take it away right then. They were happy to be done with it, and I keep my good tablecloths in it now.

Wish me luck. I'll show my treaures in tomorrow's post.