The Minnesota Farm Woman

Summer is nearly here and now that everyone has done their spring cleaning, it is my favorite time of year:  Garage Sale Time!  You either love garage sales or you hate them.  I love them.  I more than love them. You might even say that I am addicted to garage sales, or at least that’s what HE thinks whan I come home with another dusty old thing that I found.  He rolls his eyes when I tell him that it just might be worth something someday.  I have been known to drive 10 miles down a dusty road following the signs, and my heart beats a little faster in anticipation of the treasures I might find. I get excited just thinking of what might be there, which could be anything from a piece of Jadite to add to my collection to a bucket of apples that someone has picked from their tree. When I arrive at the sale, I quickly scan, left to right, looking for the most interesting table, then make a beeline for it.  I am polite and even though I am tall with long arms I don’t reach over anyone’s head to grab the good stuff, but I must admit that I have been shoved out of the way by more that one elderly  lady who looked as frail and innocent as Whistler’s Mother.   Looks can be deceiving, that’s for sure. Sometimes the best things can be found  UNDER the tables, and I can often be found sitting on a dusty stool and digging through a box of old papers and magazines, looking for something and I can’t even tell you what that something is until I see it.  One must sometimes weed through a lot of trash to find a treasure, though.  I often wonder what people are thinking as they set up for their sale.  Underwear? Really?  Used athletic shoes?  For those of you who think that someone wants to buy the water pitcher that you used when you were in the hospital last year even if it is just a quarter need to think again.  What if you had the Bubonic Plague or something?  I see at least three water pitchers a year, too, so more than one person is of the mindset that everything must be worth something.  Please send your used mayonnaise jars to the recycle center.  Nobody wants them, even if you put them in the “free” box.  A couple of years ago I found the most unusual  item that I have ever seen at a garage sale and believe me, I have seen some doozies:   For the unbelievable price of 5o cents the people were selling a bottle of the liquid contrast they make you drink before you have a CAT scan of your abdomen.  I wonder to this day if someone really bought it or if it was carefully packed away in a box and put away for the next year’s sale. Who knows? It might be worth something someday.