Garage Sales!!!

I am at a crucial point in my year...Garage sales are about to begin and I am happy, and nervous all at the same time.

What if things aren't good this year?  What if people aren't selling off their rusty goodies because American Pickers has increased in popularity even more this past season? 

What if some of my favorite perpetual garage sales don't re-open? 

What if the weather Never gets warm enough to actually go to any garage sales?!

Love the looks on their faces here...

I'm actually not THAT worried...and I have been to several already this year, I am still fairly new but I am noticing that early season garage sales seem to fall into a few categories..

1.  The We-Did-Amazing-Advertising-On-Craigslist-But-All-We-Have-Is-Baby-Clothes garage sale.  I have already been to two of those this year, and think that the current trend is to use the words multi-family instead of we have newborn to toddler clothes, a couple beat up toys and a tractor.  These people are always so sweet, I always wish I could justify buying something...but I can't, so I always say I will tell people about the sale and I try to. :) 

As a side note--this garage sale tends to have multiple cats present for the duration.

Here Kitty, Kitty

2.  The Awkward-Silence garage sale.  We went to one held indoors by a moving company.  It had been advertised for weeks and we were really excited.  Not only was it a disappointing sale...it was in a small room where everyone was really really quiet.  Jonathan and I wanted to discuss whether or not to continue looking, but you could hear a pin drop.  We ended up doing the--'Hey, Hon...gotta get to that Thing' thing.  Of course as we exited everyone stopped and looked at us...it was weird.  I'm pretty sure that Norman Bates was running it, also. 

So So Scary

3.  The Over-Eager-Can-I-Help-You-Find-Something garage sale.  Sometimes these garage sales are later in the season, but we ran across one early this Spring...everywhere we went there was the lady of the house...scurrying, talking, making announcements.  I appreciate being made to feel welcome, but not spied on.  We finally got away from the watchful eye of 'Big Mother' when a gust of Spring wind blew her faux flower display over on her as she was making yet another announcement.  After making sure she was okay--we ran for the car while she was distracted by piles of fake hydrangeas.

All kidding aside...I actually really love that so many garage sales come with a slice of humanity.  People are so busy with their own lives, that there are so many of us who don't even know our neighbors names...It always makes me sad when people breeze in and out of Walmart without even saying hello to the little old guy who is greeting them (ours is Dewey)...I like that at many garage sales--people talk.  The folks running them sort of have to sit there, the folks buying from them usually have to ask questions...the objects are passed from one person to another in a community. 

It's Americana with a 50 cent price tag.  And that's worth a pretty penny.