Trash to Treasure?

I have been gone from the blogosphere for nearly a month.  To be perfectly honest, I really haven't missed it - the blogging part, that is.  I am behind on reading posts, so sorry for that.  But I have been busy.

You may remember that I have been trying to get rid of  'stuff'.  I had NO luck selling any of my hats on line, but I did sell a few items of jewelry and some large silk trees that I had.  I then contacted a gentleman who has a business buying stuff to sell on eBay.  I learned quite a bit from him. 

Only about 25% of what is listed there is actually sold.  And outrageous prices are rarely received.  He told me that last year he sold over $200,000 in items on eBay.  But when all expenses and taxes were paid he made only $18,000.  He did buy some of my porcelains and even an old saxophone and we came to a decent agreement on price.

So, the rest of my stuff, which I have been setting aside since the first of the year, went into a three-day garage sale.  Ugh.  Never again.  Yes, I made some money.  But when all was sold and done, it was a heck of a lot of work for the monetary reward.

OTOH, I met some very interesting people.  And one disgusting one.

See anything of interest in this photo?

Well, I sold the suitcase to a very nice nurse who also spent time walking through the garden.  We shared our horror stories of the deer.  I have had sedum and irises eaten this year.  She has lost black-eyed Susans.  All of these flowers are supposed to be deer-resistant.  But the lack of rain means that they are trying to get moisture wherever and however they can. 

I also sold several of my hats.  One young woman from Jamaica bought four of them.  She actually came here twice.  She also bought two of my old Bibles.  She was thrilled.

And that old 1970's sewing machine in the top right corner?  I sold it to a man along with the sewing box and all the attachments.  That was on Thursday.  On Friday, a woman showed up and asked where it was.  I asked if she had come by earlier and she said she saw the picture on Craigslist.  She was very disappointed to see it sold.  Said that it was one of the best old machines ever.  Who knew? 

There was a woman who was excited to find a bookmark with the letter 'D' on it.   She said her name was Denise.  What are the odds?  We talked for a while and she told me that her daughter had been invited to the private funeral for Aretha Franklin and told her that she was going as the 'plus one.'  She was thrilled.  We shared some Aretha stories. 

There was a spry 82-year old who bought all of my little jars left from the days when I would give homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate as Christmas gifts.  She moved here from Illinois a few years ago to be close to her children - I never did ask how they all ended up in Michigan.  She apologized for rambling on - she was delightful - but said she hadn't spoken to anyone all day.  She was soon followed by another senior who said the worst part of living alone is that she sometimes gets lonely.  It makes one think about the real need for some sort of social connection, especially as we age.

Several folks asked if my home was for sale.  I directed them to three other homes in the area that are ranches.  One-story living really is great when you get older.  I can thank my ex for making that decision when we first bought a house.

And then there was the one obnoxious woman.  She bought some items so maybe I shouldn't complain, but I wanted to kick her down the driveway.  Once she had her purchases, she asked if I had a box.  Well, I had been saving boxes and bags for this event.  So, I grabbed a box.  She looked at it and said "Oh, f---ing Amazon.  People on there buying stuff they don't need.  I wish they'd go out of business."  This from a woman at a garage sale.  An obvious trumpite.  I couldn't wait to see the backside of her (which was quite large, BTW).

So, I made a little money.  I joked to my kids last night that I think I made maybe 50 cents an hour when you factor in all the time it took to prepare and run the sale.  We still have some items listed online.  As a matter of fact, before they even left yesterday someone had bought one of the car seats that still had some time left before it expires.  Yes, car seats expire due to wear and tear on the belts and plastic.  You cannot donate them.

I have scheduled Purple Heart to come and pick up several items.  There is another pile to take to the Salvation Army store.  I am off to the library today to donate CDs, DVDs and books.  Even with all that I have gotten rid of, we still have a ways to go.  The consignment guy who was here was interested in several of my porcelains, but that is for the future.  And likely for my kids to deal with.

In the end, it was all worth it just to meet so many interesting people.  And to be able to see the floor in my office and spare bedroom again.