Yard Saling
I went yard-saling (yard-sale-ing?) today. I tell you what: people in this town are serious about yard sales. Early birds everywhere, big crowds at every sale, people hauling off bags of loot and bargaining right and left. The question is: what exactly were they buying? I didn't find much at all worth my cash. It seems that living in a lower-middle-class Western town is not as lucrative a yard sale region as was rural New England, with its perfect mix of upper-middle-class affluenza, rural folk with a penchant for old, high-quality old-school goods (!), and frequent large-scale flea markets and junk stores. I should have been buying and hoarding stuff years ago - IF I HAD ONLY KNOWN I WAS LIVING IN USED-JUNK MECCA. I also should not have left so much of my #%$ing kitchen stuff in Hanover. Pebblonians, I hope you are enjoying my measuring cups, spoons, pyrex dishes, saute pan, spices, vinegars, various dry goods, and plates. Not that I had 2 inches of extra room with which to take it home, seriously, I had to fight to keep my wok lid, but man. You have no idea how hard it is to fine a nice piece of Pyrex out here. They got that shit in spades back east. I am about to break down and go to Wal-Mart because all these peeps are holding on tight to their Pyrex measuring cups.
I did find a few neat things, though none of them are what I really need: a desk. I tried to buy a real big table for my desk, but it wouldn't fit in my car and the lady couldn't deliver it. I found a kids' desk, but I think I can do better. I wish I'd bought one of those old Moosilauke tables right about now. What did I get, then? Well, since you asked -
- small copper kettle with porcelain handle
- antique glass gallon jug with original label (distilled water from Utah) that is going to be my sweet tea jug
- bright yellow antique cereal bowl
- an oval mirror with a fabulous ornate frame
- a big antique tin (like 2 feet tall), powder blue, says something like Hornsby's Shortening on it. don't know quite what to do with it yet.
- a new bike tire pump (not at a yard sale. at the bike shop. the owner is real nice. too bad he is married with small children.)
I did find this amazing store today that I want to check out again - it's called The Trading Post or something like that and it's a big tall tin building just CRAMMED with stuff. There were at least 10 crock pots. This after I bought one for twice the price at the "no refunds, no exchanges" Salvation Army. It's retro orange. I love crock pots. You can apparently make lasagna in one, though I have never tried. Mostly I intend to rock the soup in mine. Put it in in the morning, come home from work, and it's done! Like magic! The Trading Post is run by this rotund Latino man who walks on two low black crutches. He was friendly, and I got a decent saucepan and lid from him for $1. Mostly I just need to photograph that place. It's seriously got some character.
Also in progress: tracking down local foods! Got some tomatoes and pears today from a farm just outside of town. Next week I'm checking out this really sweet farmstand in Payette (oh, the pumpkins, the squashes, those massive oddly shaped delights!) and the Boise farmers' market.
Man, when you don't have a lot to do in the evenings, it's easy to write a lot on here. I just condense what would be a day's worth of prattling on to friends into one long missive on my blog. We'll see how long this lasts... and I can't really do news and links and things yet since my internet is crappy - it comes and goes and surfing is agony. Typing, however, is just fine. If you emailed me and I have yet to reply - um, I have no good excuse. I'll get on that ASAP.
p.s. Marc - send me your email address? I have tunes to send you. Good luck with the housing search!