Yard Sales

I have many weaknesses in my life, but one in particular stands out this time of year.  It's not the cash, but what I do with it--I hit the yard sales.  Hard.  Just about every weekend.  The thrill of finding a unique item at a rock bottom price is just more than I can resist.  So I embrace my obsession and make a mad dash to any and every sale I find.

I don't have to go far before I start spotting the signs.  The end of Summer brings a last ditch hurrah of sales, and on any given weekend the signs pop up everywhere.  I can barely leave my driveway before I'm faced with agonizing decisions like the one above........which way do I choose??!!!  Hmm.  I'll fallow the flower sign.

Sometimes following signs can lead me on a goose chase, which is how I ended up here.  The sign said "Huge Sale Saturday" and I got so excited, I was five miles down the gravel road before I realized it was Friday.  Oh well, at least I got to cross this old bridge.  I thought it was neat...as the dust swirled over it from my rapidly retreating car.

You never know what you'll find once you actually get to a sale. You just have to go and see for yourself.  Some sales are inside a neatly organized garage, with items clearly marked and sparkling clean.

And then there are sales like this.  They just use what they have (like a boulder) to display what they've got (holiday decorations and old shoes).  It's easy to turn your nose up at something like this, but I like to dig a little deeper.  Some of my best antique finds were covered in grime and priced 50 cents!

I love yard sales, because where else can you find a KitchenAid mixer displayed next to a plastic coffee can planted with Hens & Chicks....alongside a hammer...and a BBQ grill...and a birdhouse?

And I couldn't resist a photo of these...they're giraffe legs!  Yes, they're real.  I found them at a sale in an old barn.  Don't get upset, I left them there for someone else to buy.

My car was full, anyway.  I couldn't have fit them in.  When my trunk starts to look like this, I know it's time to head towards home...

...and unload my treasures.  Unloading is actually part of the fun.  I get to rediscover and admire my finds as they emerge from the jumble in my trunk.  I do a lot of oohing and aahing during this process.  My husband does a lot of eye-rolling.  He loves me.  He really does.

Even when I hand the camera to my son and jump in the feed trough I bought out of a fellow's garden, with my vintage mannequin that I scored from a lady who said "Her name is Dolly, would you please call her that?"

I can't explain everything.  All I know is that it was definitely time for a shower and a nap!