A life cut short but well-lived

You can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you've become yourself.

          ~Eleanor Roosevelt

     Yesterday Lanny and I drove to a small Indiana town fairly close to us to attend the visitation at a funeral home for a friend of ours. I have been a friend of his wife for over 30 years. Karen and I had been "church ladies" together, had attended Bible study classes, various church women's groups, and served on various church boards together. That had sparked a personal friendship that went beyond church-- we had met together with another friend Kathy over the years for lunches and dinners, and once I was married to Lanny we had socialized as couples. That is how we got to know her husband. Jim was a wonderful guy... quick witted and funny, smart, and the life of any social event. He also had taken his faith to heart and served in so many ways-- mission trips to New Orleans and involvement in his local congregation. So, when we learned he had terminal brain cancer, it hit us hard. 

     He died this week, much sooner than had been predicted, leaving his wife and family and many, many friends to mourn. Including us... Jim is not the only friend to have passed too young. We have said goodbye to others lately and I find that their passing has caused a lot of self-reflection on life in general and especially on what I want out of my own. Gathering in the funeral home yesterday, we met up with other friends and had some conversations about how this wonderful guy had lived his life so well. 

     Then my friend Kathy introduced me to a woman who was a little older than I am. She asked me if I remembered her... and I didn't. It turns out that this woman was the grandmother of a baby I had helped deliver 19 years ago... and she still remembered me and had asked to be introduced! Unfortunately, the mother of the baby and the baby were not also there, but the grandmother filled me in on the life of this little baby. He was now 19 and enrolled in the Air Force, eager to serve his country and learn aircraft maintenance. She described him as a great kid, and then was able to recount details of his birth from all those years ago. And she thanked me for having been so sensitive to the needs of her daughter, who at the time of this baby's birth had been in the middle of a personal crisis that had required some extra TLC on my part.  I was pretty blown away!  I used to have new mothers stop me out in public or come back to visit at the hospital when the baby was a little older to say hello, but this was the first time I had heard from one who was almost an adult. And they still remembered me!

     The death of a friend too young, and then contact with this family from long ago has provoked a lot of thought. I have never had a need for fame, for having my name recognized by strangers. But I have had a hope that somehow my life would have a lasting influence somewhere. Should I die young too, I still want to know that I have made a difference, as our friend Jim had done.  Speaking with the grandmother of this young man helped me see that perhaps I will. When I was a nursing manager, I used to tell my staff that their influence on families, however brief, could be profound. Loving care by someone at a time of change and sometimes crisis can make all the difference to a young mother. And now I see that what I said is true! I will admit this feels very, very good to me... Who knew I would have a nursing high point over a year after I retired?

     We never know what will befall us. We can plan and work towards the future, but in the end, all we have is now. The choices we make, the paths we choose, will have ripple effects on those around us, even casual acquaintances. And we will never really know the scope of that influence!  The important thing is to figure out what is important to us and then try our best to live life according to that. How we treat one another now can profoundly influence others that we may never know about.

     So here's to Jim and all the others who had lives cut short, but were well-lived! Their influence will remain for a long time. May we all follow their examples and live according to the callings of our heart and our principles.

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.
           ~George Eliot

A most liveable place!

A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.
          ~Margaret Mead

     The Kiplinger Report released its list of the Top 10 Best cities in the US to live this week. I read the list with some interest, as I have been giving a lot of thought to what makes a place liveable. Here are the criteria used by the Kiplinger Report in their rankings:

Our approach this year to picking the ten best cities in which to live and work was simple: Look for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, then demand reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do.

          ~Kiplinger Report, June 27, 2012

If you have more interest in this report, here is the website:  http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2008/07/2008-best-cities-to-live-work-play.html

We recently visited Madison, Wisconsin where every Saturday there is a huge Farmers' Market on the square surrounding the State Capital Building.

     Lanny and I recently returned from a short trip to Wisconsin, where we had the pleasure of visiting the downtown area of Madison on a Saturday morning. Madison is unique in that it is the state capital, is home to a Big 10 university (University of Wisconsin) and is known as an art colony of sorts. I read up on it online before we got there and discovered they had a large farmer's market on the Capital Square every Saturday morning so we decided to get up and go see it. We were very impressed by both the size and scope of what was offered at this open air market. Produce piled high, Wisconsin cheese, flowers, bakeries, a few flea market offerings, even yarns and soaps were offered in abundance. Literally thousands of people, with lots and lots of small children and strollers, walked the square around the large and imposing state capital building, and shopped. The produce was beautiful and most of it was advertized as organic.

     Additionally, there were many people out who were street performers or had a political agenda they wanted to present to the throngs. We listened to a guy beat bongo drums and recite spur-of-the-moment poetry (something about popcorn and arguing with his wife... we got a kick out if it!), saw a local politician out shaking hands, watched other street performers and admired the produce.

Loved this guy-- an old hippie still carrying the anti-war protest signs. Ah... for the good old days!

Right in front of the capital building there is a "community garden" growing. Tables set up in the background are for various causes-- sign up here for a petition about this or that...

A street performer draws a crowd

     We even bought our breakfast at a bakery booth-- fabulous cinnamon buns and a cup of coffee.

This was breakfast-- the cinnamon roll was ginormous - at least 5 inches square!

Lanny enjoyed his!

     Then, we left the square and wandered along a street filled with art galleries and even bought a piece of art glass to take home.  We stopped and sampled some Italian gelato before heading back to our hotel, passing many more boutiques and galleries. We passed many lovely and modern apartments and condos along the way, and found ourselves wondering what it would be like to live in one. We noted a lot of bicyclists and bike paths along every street. We also saw a lot of city buses out helping move people from one place to another.

     The trip back to our hotel took us past one of the lakes that Madison is situated between and we saw people out jogging the paths along the lake as well as many boaters out enjoying the lake itself. Even on a hot, overcast day the setting was beautiful! 

     It struck us that Madison was doing a lot of things right and it seemed like a great place to live. At least in the summer, it looked like it was easy to get around, there were lots of fun things to do, and living there was fun.  As we often find we do when we travel, we talked about and briefly considered the possibility of living there... While we love our home in Indiana, a lot of what Madison offers is missing here. We do not have a good public transit system and we don't have safe roads for bicyclists. Paths have been installed downtown, but it amounted to a simple repainting the lines on the street. They seem to me to be way too narrow to be safe for cyclists! 

     On the other hand, the trend toward locally produced food has started here, and we have enjoyed attending the farmers' markets in our area. Our area does enjoy a very low cost of living, and the job market is picking up, albeit slowly. And fun things do occur, more than we can actually take in. We love our home out in the country too. And it is close to family and friends...

   So, as we always end up doing after we travel, we decide we'll stay here in Indiana and continue to travel and see the rest of the world. Coming home can be the best part of any trip!

The Other Side of the Rainbow...

The white light streams down to be broken up by those human prisms into all the colors of the rainbow.  Take your own color in the pattern and be just that.  

          ~Charles R. Brown

     This past weekend, my husband and I traveled to Wisconsin, to attend the wedding of his nephew. We had a wonderful time, and I want to share a little of what I experienced.

     The nephew who was married is a great kid, funny and smart. I haven't know him too long, but always enjoy his presence at family get togethers. He works as an engineer. He has excelled in this field, becoming quite successful in his job. This past year at Thanksgiving, as we listened to details of the upcoming wedding, we also discovered that the object of his affection shared in his geekiness and love for video games and other such techy entertainment. They both love to cook, and have participated in some Iron Chef-type competitions together... and have won! He spoke with such love and enthusiasm that we knew this was a match "made in heaven". And we eagerly looked forward to attending the wedding.

     There was a rehearsal dinner the night before that we were invited to. It was held at a Brazilian tapas and beef restaurant, and we were treated to not only excellent food, but the chance to meet some of the other family and the host of friends who also attended. We were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by them all. The couple circulated through the group, making introductions and chatting with everyone. A happy circle of love seemed to be surrounding all of us.

     The wedding took place the following afternoon in the hotel where we were all staying. The ceremony was fairly traditional, with attendants in lovely gowns and tuxes, even a flower girl who enthusiastically flung flower petals down the aisle. The official photographer snapped away with dozens of other cameras (or smart phones in my case...) flashing as the wedding pair made their way down the aisle together. The parents sat in the front row, mothers dabbing eyes, as they watched their offspring walk together down the aisle.

     The wedding was officiated by a delightful woman (whose name I didn't get). She admonished all of the need to support these young people as they started their life together, and talked at length about the joy they shared in loving one another. That love, above all, was clear to us all as we watched them exchange vows. Holding hands, exchanging rings, a shy kiss at the end. I was very touched by one simple ceremony performed. Each of the couple had a small vase filled with colored sand. One was vivid green, the other vivid blue (the colors of the wedding). Each took their own vase and then slowly poured the colored sand together into a larger vase. The vivid colors were merged into a really lovely pattern in the vase. The officiant shared that two people who once were vivid and colorful alone, were now joined and even more lovely in the new patterns they made. And that the individual colors would be impossible to separate out now that they were joined. She also recommended that the couple place the vase in a prominent place in their home, and on each anniversary they give it a little shake to signify the even more complete merging of themselves. Lanny and I squeezed each others hands, recognizing how true this had become for us-- the longer we are married the more joined we feel...

One small vase of green sand, another of blue... merged into one larger vase with a beautiful result!

     In short, this wedding was beautiful and mostly traditional, and filled with proud family and love. Lots and lots of love...

     It was just like most weddings except for one thing:  Lanny's nephew is gay. He was marrying another man. The wedding, held in a state that does not recognize gay marriage, was not legal.  And it forced me to look at this hot political issue from an entirely new perspective-- the personal one. I tend to be an intellectual liberal-- I think about issues and decide my opinions based on information and reading the opinions of others and then make up my own mind. Intellectually I have supported gay marriage for awhile-- it seems to me to be harmless to those of us it doesn't apply to, and I am in favor of committed and loving relationships. I remember many of my heterosexual friends back in the day NOT getting married because "it was just a piece of paper" and that held no meaning for them. For gay couples, if this piece of paper does indeed have meaning, then what harm does that do?  And I do see the civil rights issue here as well-- the right to have the legal benefits that marriage offers such as shared health care benefits, legal protections, etc.

     However, as I often find, having an intellectual opinion and experiencing the outcome of that opinion first hand can often test me. And I wasn't sure how I felt personally about watching two men get married.  Kissing to clinking water glasses at the reception. Dancing with one another.

     I can tell you now, their ceremony was beautiful. It was loving. It was a joyful celebration of two people who cannot imagine living life without each other. In short, it was a good thing. Their commitment to one another will not bring society to ruin. It will not cause little children to abandon their families or adolescents to "choose" an alternative lifestyle. It will allow these two wonderful guys to live life more fully, with great happiness and joy. Together they will face many hardships-- that is what life tends to throw at us. But together they can face it. Both will do better work in their jobs because they are happier and living more abundant personal lives, because they are in a committed relationship.

     In the end, that is what this is all about. That is what we celebrated this weekend. A loving, committed relationship. Congratulations to them both! 

“My friends, welcome to the other side of the rainbow.” 

     ~Washington state Sen. Ed Murray (D), Feb. 13, 2012, at the signing ceremony legalizing gay marriage in the state.

Our first harvest!!

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.

          ~Alfred Austin

     We harvested our first vegetable this morning!  I have been watching closely the progress of our cucumbers, and this morning one of them just seemed to say, "I'm ready!"  As a novice gardener, I don't often hear the nudgings of my plants, so I decided it was time to follow this one. I picked the cucumber, took it in the house and we had it for breakfast.

     There is nothing more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself! Of course we thought it was delicious-- the tastiest cucumber ever.

     How do you eat a cucumber for breakfast? Well, I have a wonderful, easy recipe my sister shared with me many years ago that I will share with you. The name of the dish is indicative of the visit I payed her long ago, and how the next morning I had some issues getting going. My family was on our way to a week-long stay at a cabin in Wisconsin, and we had stayed overnight at my sister and her family's home outside of Chicago. It gave my boys a chance to play with their cousins, and me a chance to spend time with my sister and her husband. Who are excellent hosts. And I was a thirsty guest. The following morning my sister detected my difficulty and served this to me. It not only tasted good, but it calmed the stormy seas that were thrashing about inside my head and my gut.

     I don't recommend hangovers, so why not just try these for breakfast because they are so tasty? If you don't have a vegetable garden, why not pick up some fresh, local produce at your local farmers' market?

     Here is the recipe:

Hangover Bagels

toasted bagels, 1 per person

cream cheese spread on each half to taste (I use the fat free stuff for calorie control)

hard salami, sliced very thin, 3 slices per bagel half

fresh cucumber slices (or green pepper slices, or tomato slices... whatever sounds good!)

sweet onion, sliced very thin

dried dill

sea salt

Spread the cream cheese on each bagel half. Then place 3 slices of salami over the top, placing them evenly around the bagel. Then place the sliced green veggies over that, followed by the onion. You can add or subtract veggies according to your taste-- I tend to pile them on! Sprinkle with dill and sea salt. Serve with hot coffee, or a glass of cold tomato/vegetable cocktail juice.

Grandma and Grandpa pay a visit!

Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children. 

          ~Ruth Goode

     Lanny and I have just returned from a 6 day trip to visit and babysit our two grandsons in the Washington, DC area. Their mother and father were taking a little  vacation together, the first since either of the boys was born. We were honored that they entrusted these precious boys to our care!

     Of course we had a lot of fun with these toddler boys. Sam, at age 2 1/2, is verbal, active, and enthusiastic about everything. Will, at age 16 months, is not quite as verbal, but just as active. His enthusiasm tends toward whatever his older brother is doing-- it is clear he idolizes his older brother. Because both boys are so young, they require a fair amount of physical care too, but both are old enough to truly play with. And play we did!

     Besides playing with the massive number of toys these children possess, we also supervised them in playing in the backyard "baby pool". And we took them to the National Zoo one morning. We rediscovered the wonder of seeing the rare, exotic animals through a child's eyes... nothing quite like spotting the orangutang swinging high above us on a wire or hearing the lions roar! We spent lots of time reading stories, playing with cars and trucks, throwing and rolling balls around, eating popsicles and peanutbutter-and-jelly sandwiches... and so much more!

     Spending some concentrated time with these children has helped cement our relationship with them, and created a bond with them that I hope will be life-long. I have fond memories of my own grandparents, and watched (and hopefully learned from!) my own parents in their role as my children's grandparents. I know how important grandparents can be in the life of a child... and I want very much to be a guiding force and good example for these children. And I want them to remember us as people who loved them unconditionally and above all, people who were lots of fun to be around.

     Now what kind of grandmother would I be if I didn't include some of my favorite photos of my grandchildren after a 4 day visit?  So, for your viewing pleasure (and mine!) here are some photos taken this past weekend!

Two wild pirates riding their cars around together!

A quieter moment where Sam is "reading" Will a story

Picnic at the Zoo-- PB&J!  What was Grandma thinking??? 

 (not enough wipes in the world to clean them both up...)

Is there anything sweeter?

Goliath is alive and well... and still winning...

O Life,
How oft we throw it off and think, — 'Enough,
Enough of life in so much! — here's a cause
For rupture; — herein we must break with Life,
Or be ourselves unworthy; here we are wronged,
Maimed, spoiled for aspiration: farewell Life!'
— And so, as froward babes, we hide our eyes
And think all ended. — Then, Life calls to us
In some transformed, apocryphal, new voice,
Above us, or below us, or around . .
Perhaps we name it Nature's voice, or Love's,
Tricking ourselves, because we are more ashamed
To own our compensations than our griefs:
Still, Life's voice! — still, we make our peace with Life. 

           ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh and Other Poems





     Several weeks ago I posted a blog about our attempts to buy a new iPhone. (See "This Time Goliath Wins" for April 15, 2012).  I was incredulous that AT&T refused to let us purchase any because our contract wasn't due for an upgrade yet. 


     I have had numerous conversations with people about this, and all agreed that the iPhone, or perhaps another "smart phone" version, is a wonderful gadget that I would enjoy. I had also seen my sons and step daughter  all enjoy theirs, and they encouraged us to make the jump.  


     Well, yesterday we went back to the AT&T store and bought two new iPhones. There, we were greeted by a highly trained, very professional saleswoman. She was as personable as a plastic Barbie doll-- all smiles and knew her script very well. She was, in a word, smooth. The entire time we endured her sales "discussion" I was wary. But in the end, if we wanted the phones, we had to listen to her and allow her to banter on about "Welcome to the world of smart phones!" and how we were going to love it. The whole event made me uneasy, kinda like talking to a sleazy used car salesman. Score one for AT&T.


     After we left the store, with the phones in hand and my credit card groaning, we got into our car, which has bluetooth and which was used to "synch" with my cell phone. Hurdle one:  learning how to get the new phones to "talk" to the car so we could use the phone hands-free. It took us about 10 minutes sitting in the hot sun, but finally we got it! Score one for the Bertrams!


     Once home, we had to get the phones to find our email. That took another 20 minutes or so, but we did it. <Ding> went the phone and the little screen was filled with email messages. Score another one for the Bertrams!


     I had been hearing about all the cool "apps" for the phone, so I went into the "Apps Store" app (yes, I know...) to look for some. My friend recommended one for knitters. She said it was free. I searched, and found it. It was $9.99, but there was a free version of it. I downloaded that... well, I tried. The little machine asked for some information about me-- date of birth, for instance. I don't like to give out that information so I refused and discovered nope, no downloading allowed. Even if the app is free, the Apple Store must have my date of birth and my credit card on file. Seriously? The saleswoman didn't tell me that!  Score one for AT&T...


     Eventually I discovered that indeed, there would be no cool apps at all if I didn't give Apple Store this info. So, reluctantly I typed it in. It asked for my Apple password. I didn't have one, so I went to the "new user" icon. I had to enter all the info again, and then make up a user name and password. The first 6 user names I tried were all taken by someone else. I finally thought of something I thought I might remember, and entered that. Then it asked for a password. I entered one, and it told me, no, both the user name and password were taken by someone and that I was already an Apple customer. What? Well, given that I do have an Apple computer, I must have created an account long ago. But of course, when I tried to re-enter the same user name and password, I was told there was an error. <sigh> I clicked on the "I forgot my user name and password" icon and was taken to a site where I filled out more information and eventually was given a new user name and password. Using this info, I was able to download the "free" knitting app. Score one for me, and give AT&T 50 points for the extreme aggravation.


     Over the rest of the evening, I learned how the device works mostly by trying stuff. You see, there is no user manual for this device! There is no where to turn with questions other than the Apple help desk that requires you call them on the phone. Even cars come with user manuals... what is AT&T thinking? Why spend millions on printed materials when you can pay someone in India minimum wage to answer the phone?? Score 50 points for AT&T. At one point it crashed, just like a computer. I was about to throw it out the window at that point, and went to show my husband (who was having his own struggles with the thing!) when suddenly it came back up and was fine. I tried out the camera, got email and the internet stuff going, tried the text message function. I downloaded a free "lifestyle" app that I can track what I eat and what my weight is doing. I tried, repeatedly, to use a GPS app that I will give up on. I have messaged people on Facebook, on Ravelry (the knitting social site) and using the phone. I think, overall, I am slowly getting the hang of this thing. Give Barb 20 points!


     My husband, on the other hand, is a little behind me. I don't think he is a fan of the device yet. He remains a skeptic for sure. And when the bill comes with the new charges for our new "data plans" I may have to hide!   Oiy... I feel much as Barrett Browning describes in her poem-- The phones are "cause for rupture" and I have had enough! But then... the phone dings at me, alerting me to a new email, and I realize how cool it is that I can read email anywhere. I will have to "make peace" with AT&T because I am losing the battle-- the score at the moment is:


Goliath (aka AT&T):  102
Bertrams: 23

Channeling Aunt Gertrude

                                                                    

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
          ~Chinese Proverb

     Today, while driving home from a grocery shopping excursion, I channeled my Great Aunt Gertrude. Or Lanny did-- and he never knew her!

     My Great Aunt Gertrude Webster was a high school English teacher who lived her entire life in Erie County, New York (aka, Buffalo). She was the "character" of our family-- a woman who never married or had her own family, did as she pleased and didn't care two pins what others thought of her. She dressed to suit her mood and the activities she had planned, and if that made her look ridiculous, well, too bad. There are many, many Aunt Gertrude stories-- of her escapades as a teacher, of her travels (once, at age 75+, she drove in a pick up truck camper with her slightly younger sister Louise from Buffalo to Alaska, camping all the way...to visit Louise's son, Gert's nephew, who lived up there...two old ladies in a pick up all the way to Alaska!) and especially of her adventures as a bird watcher.

     Aunt Gertrude loved birds. She joined the Audubon Society at an early age and was active in it her entire life. She led birding expeditions and spoke to other groups about the joys of birds. She taught me, her great niece, about birding by making it seem exotic and incredibly fun. As a result, while I am not an Audubon member or belong to any group, I have always paid attention to birds, kept a well-worn copy of Roger Tory Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds closeby, and had bird feeders in my yard.

     My husband, Lanny, has learned and become interested himself in birds as a result of my love for them. We keep our birdfeeders stocked all year long right outside our dinette window, and he is more likely than I am to fill them up as they get empty. He enjoys keeping the binoculars closeby and the bird book in hand on warm evenings spent on our back deck. He gets as excited as I do when a pileated woodpecker shows up or we spot a yellow throated warbler for the first time.

     So, today, as we neared our home returning with the car packed with groceries, Lanny pointed out his window and yelled, "What was that? I think it was an orange and black bird!"  "Holy smokes, Lanny... that must have been a Baltimore Oriole! I've never seen one! TURN AROUND!"  So, melting frozen food and all, we turned around and went back to the spot along the road where he saw the bird. He pulled over. We put the windows down. We waited. Suddenly, a rustle in the trees... then another, and then another... and then... YES! A bright orange and black bird appeared. Total black head, which differentiates it from a Bullock Oriole... this one was a beautiful male Baltimore Oriole.

     Then, just as suddenly, it was gone. We turned around and headed for home, with one more bird for our "life list." I found myself grinning and thinking how proud Aunt Gert would be of me... and I was thankful for her example shown all those years ago of the joys of bird watching!

This is my Great Aunt Gertrude, age 90 something, with my two boys. It is a favorite photo of her, because I can hear her laughing still. My boys weren't quite sure what to make of her...

One man's trash...

Buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window; Why, why, says the junk in the yard.
          ~Paul McCartney 

                                           


     Since my husband has retired and spring weather has arrived, we have started a new hobby together-- we go garage saleing most Thursdays and Fridays. And sometimes Saturdays...  It has opened our eyes to a different perspective on things.  I used to do this when my kids were small, but once I was working full time I couldn't. That was a long time ago... and things have changed a little. Here are some random thoughts that have been spurred on by our experiences in the last few weeks attending garage sales:


1.  You can never predict what you might find at any given sale. We tend to think that the sales in the "starter home" subdivisions will only have children's clothing, toys and baby furniture. However, Lanny has found some huge bargains on tools for his shop at sales where the only other items were baby items. I found an All Clad 1 qt saucepan with lid for $1 at one of these sales. I didn't have that size and can't afford All Clad pots retail, so I snatched it up!


2.   The people with the cleanest, most organized garages are most likely to be the least likely to bargain over prices or to chit-chat with. I think clean, organized garages are kept by the most anal-retentive among us, and these people are not "warm and fuzzy" with strangers.  Conversely, garages that were stuffed with junk, some for sale, some not, hard to find which was which, are usually owned by easy-going talkers. The stuff may not be as nice, but the people are!


3.   Any sale that advertises tools will be well attended by retired men! Any sale that advertises "lots of miscellaneous items" will be well attended by retired women!  And the ones that advertise children's clothing and toys will be well attended by stay-at-home parents. One of the big changes from when I was going to garage sales for kids' stuff is that the stay-at-home parent might be a dad these days. 


4.   I used to think the larger and more opulent the home, the better the stuff. This is not so any more... Everyone is getting rid of old junk and trying to get a little cash from it. The only time this is true is for adult clothing. I have found some designer labels on clothing in the "ritzier" neighborhoods. But their junk is pretty much the same junk you find anywhere!


5.  You can tell what people's interests are in the books and music CD's they sell. We got a National Geographic world atlas this week that is just wonderful... and I saw one place that had two huge tables of "bodice ripper" paperback romances. I have found some classic children's books in great condition, including some Little Golden Books of my own childhood.  I have seen video games that I would never allow my children (and they are grown!) to play, and then found beautiful chess sets.  All this has made me aware of the vast differences in people's interests and tastes. 


6.  I could have easily purchased 10 or more twin strollers so far this season. I have commented to my husband that the advances in infertility treatments has resulted in many more "multiple" births. And there are a lot of baby things out there for cheap, that is for sure. We must be in a second round of baby boom?  I found myself wondering why I didn't get some of this stuff at a garage sale when the grandchildren started coming... 


7.  By far the best sales for me are the estate sales, where beautiful things from people who are gone are sold by a family overwhelmed with the task. The items are usually wonderful, the prices usually very good. And the stuff that is sold is usually stuff I love-- dishes and glassware and old jewelry. I used to collect all this stuff, but had to stop. I mostly look these days, although I am still hoping to find a priceless antique for cheap.


8.   And that is the final point-- for Lanny and I, these sales are about the hunt. For him it is expensive tools and for me it is priceless antiques. When we find something, we'll wink at one another across the garage. And high-five once back in the car. 


So... here's to next weekend and more successful garage saleing!!