Yard Party..

We started gathering tables for the yard sale this morning at ten o'clock. We had to drive to the club Mom belongs to, pick up three heavy tables, and haul them back. Then we went back for three more. We thought that would be enough, but it wasn't. Mom dug out four double card tables from the karaoke equiptment, and it still wasn't enough surface space. We ended up having to borrow two tables from each of two neighbors to hold all the things in our yard right now.

Dave was feeling even worse this morning when we got out of bed, so I sent him right back. The best thing to treat a cold for Dave specifically is to sleep it off. He was in bed until two when we fixed sandwiches and I made him get up for a little nourishment. He was babbling and talking complete nonsense. That was a treat. When we finished eating, Mom and I went back outside to brave the heat and mosquitoes, and Dave crawled back in bed again until dinner.

It took us four hours to load up the flatbed trailer with all the yard sale boxes and bulky paraphernalia, and another six hours to unload, sort, and place everything on the tables. It was over ninety degrees today, and Mom and I were roasting. We took several ten minute water breaks, but we were still feeling pretty miserable for most of today. It had to be done though.

Around ten thirty it started getting dark and we started trying to get everything covered. We didn't have enough tarps, so we were trying to cut plastic sheets for the rest. We borrowed another two tarps from the neighbors. Thank goodness for those. The bugs were coming out in full force to eat us alive. I got pretty irritable, pretty fast at that point. Dave had finally wandered out of bed, and outside to help, but he was still sick, and still groggy and my patience were already worn raw, so I didn't give him too many assignments. It had been about ten hours since we had stopped to eat anything, but we needed to get it done, so we worked right on through.

To complicate things a bit more, people kept milling around the street out front, or riding their bikes over to see what we were doing. They snooped around until they got brave enough to ask if they could shop early. We should have told them No.. but Mom told them they could. We made thirteen dollars tonight, (which doesn't sound like a lot until you consider that most of it was less than a dollar, and over half of it was about ten cents, lol).

I'm a little irritated though, when I think about the dedicated yard sale folks who show up at eight in the morning, assuming they get first pick over everyone, and a good thirty items were sold before they even got there. Wayne's ex-wife's daughter bought about twenty video tapes, and several books. A little lady down the street bought some beads for her granddaughter. She told us we had everything priced much too low. Mom and I were afraid of that.. but we're always afraid people will think it's too much, and we'll be stuck hauling it off somewhere. People are going to get excellent deals, and hopefully.. we don't have to pack it up come Sunday night. Cindy, next door bought some of my Harry Potter stuff. A neighbor boy around the corner bought some Cd's and a couple computer games. He was cute, and paid in quarters. Anyway, I know it doesn't matter, and the money is just as good tonight as it would have been tomorrow.. but I still think we should have turned them away and told them to come back.

None of us needed it, and none of us could really afford it, but we ordered pizza at eleven o'clock tonight. We were all exhausted, (except Dave who got to sleep all day), and nobody had the energy to cook anything. We probably should have just fixed a bowl of Toasted Ohs and been done with it though, I suppose.

We didn't get finished tonight like we had planned. ALL of the clothes are still sitting un-priced in the garage. There's still a pile of priced sheets and curtains on the washing machine in the utility room. There's another pile of un-priced items in Mom's office. We haven't set up our table and chairs, calculator, bags, and money safe for us for tomorrow.. we didn't get ice for the cooler and water. We're not ready, but ready or not, the yard sale is coming, and we'll have to finished putting stuff out tomorrow. We have to get up and start uncovering things in about five hours, so I'm off for my shower, and hopefully, to get a couple hours or sleep before morning. Thank You all for joining us this evening, and my apologies for the sullen report tonight, I'm just absolutely exhausted.

Oh, one last thing, before I close for the night. Lawyer Charlie emailed me today, with a little case update. He sent me a web-link for a new article that came out this morning. I'll include it for anyone interested. I doubt he'll have a problem with me sharing it with everyonce, since everything written is now all public knowledge anyway. Enjoy!

Until next time.. Much Love, Many Hugs, and Good Night to You All.