Fire Sales

It's fire season here in Los Angeles, and a big one is raging just a few miles away from us in the San Gabriel Mountains. Yesterday, while driving on the freeway, I saw flames racing up a mountainside. Not Good.

To the northwest the skies were smoky this morning, but they didn't stop me and E. from hitting a few yard sales. We have a lot to do today, so we slotted only an hour. But that turned into two.

The first yard sale was the quirkiest and best, albeit the most expensive. Need some tiny antlers? Have a whole herd's worth for only $75!

This threadbare and dirty white sofa on the front lawn had seen some better days, but it was listed at $400. Two women looked at the sofa, exclaimed at the price and laughed.

A closer look tells you why the seller thinks the sofa is worth 400 samolians: It was used in a scene in the AMC drama, "Mad Men." In the episode (from the first season), the sofa was apparently gold.

Now, I love "Mad Men." It's the only show I follow. But the sofa ain't all THAT.

On our way to another yard sale, we saw a neon green sign that pointed to yet another sale at this sweet little house. The sale was empty apart from the seller. She was very nice and I felt bad that no one was there. So I bought a book on tape: Sebastian Faulk's "Charlotte Gray" (alas, an abridged version) for $2.

Next was a yard sale that didn't happen. We drove by and the house was shut up tight. People, if you're going to cancel the yard sale, please do the right thing and post it on Craigslist. Sheesh.

Oh, I loved this KFC cooler at a yard sale/fundraiser for middle-school science camp. Kitsch rating: 8 out of 10.

Last was a trio of yard sales on the same block. They had mostly junk and weren't really yard sales so much as table sales. One house featured a table of electrical-cord extensions, XL women's clothing and this psychedelic painting of Jesus (at least, that's who he looks like).

I bought a handful of nice wooden hangers for $2 at the best of them, then just marveled at the dirty and cheap items people were selling. Pots with burned bottoms and no handles. Cracked glass vases. mismatched sheets. Really, people, why bother? I saw a trip to the dump in their future.

Here's our haul for today. E. paid $2 for an empty propane tank for our spare BBQ. He's going to trade it in and get a new one for just a few dollars at the local hardware store.

At 10:45 a.m., we ducked out of the scorching heat (103 in the shade) and are now back home, where I'm set to slay some deadlines ...

Yard Sale Addict

After many weekends being dragged around to yard sale after yard sale as a kid, I cannot believe that I now go to them willingly. But I do. Every Saturday, I fire up Craigslist and search for garage and yard sales within striking distance.

Armed with a jumbo cup of coffee, a wad of small bills and my best poker face, I sally forth, husband in tow. (By the way, he is as much of a yard-sale addict as I am, and perhaps more so. He once pushed a free BBQ grill seven blocks home when he couldn't fit it into the car. That's dedication, folks.)

We love looking at (and sometimes buying) other people's stuff. You can learn so much about people by their belongings. Or in this case, their discards: dusty wedding dresses. rusty garden tools. Old perfume (eewww). LP's from the 60's and 70's. Crutches.

Now it's 8 AM on a fine Saturday morning. I should be working; I have a couple of deadlines coming up. But I hear the siren call of the Yard Sale ...