PEOPLE OR STUFF

The 2011 annual Forest Ridge Garage is history!  It was a memory maker!
The thermometer climbed up to 97 degrees and it was a scorcher.

Some dear friends and I spent hours dragging and tagging until our tails were wagging.  WHAT A JOB!   Every year I swear that I will never go through this ordeal again...ever!!  And then I do!

The idea of clean closets is the motivator for weeks before the date arrives.  I  sorted through all the closets and the nooks and crannies of the attic and garage to create a sizable stash, all the while thinking that this stuff needed to go to the landfill.

Friday night was "neighbors night" and folks that live nearby walked around and shopped.  Evidently being the first one allowed to survey junk is considered a perk of living here.  The crowds came, we  reconnected with old friends and made new ones.  All the laughter, teasing and jokes made the pain in the feet, head and neck go away.

We sold half our inventory! 

This morning we were all up bright and early and open for business at 7:30.  The crowds came in droves.  Parking jams, fender benders and near misses contributed to the confusion right in front of the house. Dogs barking and four wheelers zipping buy contributed to the chaos.

Big kids, small kids and all sorts of kids came streaming by.  We had dogs on leases, babies in strollers and backpacks, and children clutching wads of money in their sweaty little hands.

Many folks knew the garage sale drill: look interested, ask the price, make an offer and walk away with that item free.  We had a great time  negotiating and giving things away, too.

It turned into a party! 

I'm thinking that folks really don't need all those leftovers from other peoples lives as much as they need other people!   We heard stories from most everyone that came.  There were stories of moves to the area, marriages, children and grandchildren.   Proud mommas were shopping for their children's dorm rooms and first apartments.  Grandmas  were  buying up toys and sharing pictures of their grands.

Men shared stories of fishing trips planned and hunters bragged.  One little girl received a model plane FREE after telling Honeybuns of her interest in flight.   Another small boy begged his mom for a telescope so he could "see Jesus."

We came to a new conclusion.  Garage Sales are SOCIAL EVENTS rather than RETAIL EVENTS.

We really do  need each other much more than we need STUFF!

I'm looking around now for things I can part with NEXT YEAR!  I'll trade just about anything for a good visit with a brand new friend.