I discovered my husband at a garage sale, wedged between a stack of old books and a crate piled high with used Tupperware®. His eyes caught mine as he burped the plastic storage containers, one by one.
“You like leftovers?” I asked eagerly, recalling a fragrant Thai fish with soy and ginger.
“You bet,” he replied, rummaging through a box of ham radio parts.
I don’t mean to burst your bubble. He was a real find and still is a real treasure, but as much as we both love sifting through other people’s junk, ours is a second-hand marriage, and the circumstances of our first meeting are best left to your imagination.
We are known to spend many enjoyable hours in the embrace of spring garage sales -- waxing over early kitchen utensils, sizing up Griswold cast-iron skillets, and ogling three-legged cherry tables that sooner or later will find their way to my husband’s workshop.
He can fix just about anything I bring home, including delicate teapots of every size and shape, some dating back to the 1700s. And just when I think I have lost my marbles, another handful shows up, in an old candy tin brimming with Bakelite buttons, courtesy of my adoring, lawn-hopping beau.
Perhaps he is trying to make up for the loss of my childhood sled, affectionately called “Rosebud,” which I hurriedly donated to a benefit auction in my adopted hometown. He knows I’ve been on the lookout ever since, hoping the successful bidder has moved to Florida by now.
You never know. The best things in life turn up in the most unexpected places.
to garage sales on "official business,"
searching for photographs, books and
memorabilia for their documentaries,
which are drawn from American history
and popular culture. You can learn more
about their work at Main Street Media.
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Comments: 36
I love garage and yard sales............last Saturday, very early, before going to the class/demo I was presenting on herbs, I stopped at the church bazaar and found a 23 piece set of Lindt Stymeist china in pastel colors (including butter dish, salt & pepper shaker and a darling little tea pot) for $10.......I felt I had scored big! I used to sell that brand of dinnerware at my kitchen shop in Miami Lakes and the S&P set alone would have been more than what I paid for the whole 23 pieces!
Yes, Tonia, from what I can tell, garage sale treasures vary from place to place, as do the prices. In the town where I live, Griswold cast iron is costly, probably because it was manufactured here. Likewise, Welch's grape juice memorabilia is prized by the growers who still farm more than 30,000 acres in what is the oldest, largest Concord grape growing region in the world. Travel a little farther afield, and you can get some sweet deals on these very same items.
Sonia, what a find! I would love to see that teapot!
Leslie, the older I get, I find each day more rewarding than the next.
Thanks Karolyn. I have to credit my husband, Rich, for the photos.
Thanks Kathryn--What a fitting comment, coming from you in your beautiful wedding gown.
Mary--Thanks. This teapot from the 1920s is one of my favorites; it's not only pretty, it holds a good-size cup of tea with lemon.
Roxanne--We do the same thing here in PA. A caviar beaded cloche bag--how unusual!
Moggy--Happy hunting. Hope you find some new treasures for your house.
Also, my significant other and I love to go to Garage Sales. We now have six tents though and we haven't go camping in a few years!
He also works at a mini storage place, so you can only imagine what all he brings how from those!