I woke up about 45 minutes before my alarm. Weird dreams. The last thing I remember was a visitor from work (I think?) he was walking out and made a point to turn around and blow or mock a kiss. It weirded me out and woke me up. I’d love to say I have NO idea where that theme came from but I’d be lying. Par for the course of being a receptionist at a Senior Living Home surprisingly. If it is not a relative or friend of a resident, it is a male resident. Most times it is fleeting, harmless, dissipates like a scent or odor. Other times it is drawn out/tortuous. This is usually by way of a resident holding on to their machismo like a life preserver for dear life as they are pulled down a whirlpool. It is tiring.
Anyway, the good thing about waking up earlier was that allowed me more time to actually wake up. Shake the dust from head so that I’d be alert to drive to an Estate sale. It was in Frankfort, in a subtly posh part of the neighborhood. My goal was to pick up something for Alfio for his birthday and Father’s Day. I spied some vintage cologne in one of the photos and hoped that I’d score a couple of bottles for a good price.
After getting turned around once I arrived maybe 20 minutes before it started and was number 52 in line. Le sigh. It was about 50 degrees out and man it was chilly. I didn’t want to go back in my car and miss my name so instead I put on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me and broke out the Notes app on my phone. There were some ladies behind who clearly knew each other by way of Estate sales and were catching up, so of course I had to write! Here are a few lines:
A woman talks of mosquito bites she got up in Minnesota. Poison ivy she brought from her own backyard. She talks of Bass and smoky sunsets…Wild Lupine and old mines.
It’s an interesting Club of people. Young, old, first timers, old timers, and much more diverse from what I remember which made me glad. Everyone has their thing. You don’t have to be rich to go to Estate sales. Heck, you can go with 5 bucks and walk out with something. One lady bought a single ornament for a few dollars, another spent $300 on crystal ornaments. I picked up two bottles of cologne, one vintage, a bottle of perfume, and some small, silk Gucci scarves. The latter, $2 apiece! I saved hundreds of dollars and found a great gift for my husband.
I also came away with notes about a conversation that turned into something about passings and grief. That is priceless.
I love estate sales!