Random 5 for June 12, 2022 – Housewives, garage sales, timing, homes, deck

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Housewives of the ‘hood – This week I noticed someone I hadn’t seen before. It was a middle-aged woman, very thin, with an orange spray-on tan. I know it was spray on because there were no streaks, and it was orange. Truly orange! School bus orange. She was dressed like she belonged on a reality shows with long flowy bleached-damaged hair, a lot of makeup and not a lot of clothes. Maybe I’m missing something here! I’ll have to look around for the TV crews.

Garage sale – (Or flea market, tag sale, whatever you call it in your area) This weekend was our annual neighborhood sale. Put your junk in your driveway and people haggle over it. Participate is easy because the neighborhood advertises and posts signs. It’s well known so people show up. This is my second year here and I haven’t done it yet. It takes organizing and sorting and a lot of standing around while people pick over your precious treasures. Maybe next year. With a lot of car traffic, it was a great opportunity to get rid of free stuff. I had three window boxes that were fitted for my old deck railings. I put them at the end of the driveway with a free sign and they were gone in less than ten minutes. Score! Less clutter and I feel good that someone else may use them.

Speaking of the sale – Today is the second day for it but the day dawned with a light rain. Some folks moved their possessions into their garage but the rain will lighten the crowd. Savvy shoppers knows that the time for the best selection is early on the first day. The best time for good prices is late on the last day.

Constant change – There are currently three homes for sale in my little hood. One recently sold and another is going on the market shortly. My area is big for downsizers coming from large homes looking for a lot less work but not too cramped. The homes are more spacious than our local over 55 community homes and a lot cheaper. The yards are small. Most back up to a wooded area. Woods and cemeteries make the best neighbors. People leave this area to go into assisted living or nursing homes; or to move to Florida, mecca of old people with cheap taxes; or they die. I talked to one neighbor yesterday and his wife has Parkinson’s and dementia. Next year they are moving to an assisted living community with step up care. He’s had an aide living with them for a few years but it’s getting to be too much to manage. His words to me were “enjoy each day. It’s a gift.” I felt sad and happy at the same time because I know our day will come when we need to adjust our living style.

Deck update – Patient readers will be glad to know the deck is nearly done. At this point it’s a lot of small detail work. Hopefully pictures and an epilogue next week along with a return to sanity. (Maybe but no promises!)

So how was your week?

55 thoughts on “Random 5 for June 12, 2022 – Housewives, garage sales, timing, homes, deck”

  1. I try to focus my thoughts on remaining flexible in my thinking and not saying “I will never leave my home,” or some such declaration. We’ve seen so many friends experience major health crises and if they’ve never previously considered that they would need assistance, they struggle so much more. My mother is 90 and still lives alone and does great. But I don’t think she’s the average!

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    • My 92 year old brother does well too but his wife has mobility issues. They outfitted the home with stair glides, chairs that help you out and a lot of other things to make it work.

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  2. Fingers crossed it happens this week for you Kate – I’m a little behind here so maybe it’s done now? My handyman recently informed me he can no longer work as he has been delared legally blind. He suffered a detached retina in his about 15+ years ago – he is currently breaking in his son-in-law, a former roofer, to take over his book of business. I don’t know what triggered this episode. We have our citywide garage sale coming up in the near future too.

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      • Yes, Jim is only 60 or 61. I am 66 and figured he may not be climbing on roofs 10-15 years from now, but this was a bit of a shock. Thankfully, he is grooming his son-in-law to take over. The son-in-law has been a roofer, so no worries with roof/chimney checks and gutters, but there are other jobs Jim did every Spring. (And of course the sensor light is only lighting up on one side – patience needed on my part.) I am glad he had a Plan “B”.

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  4. I dread that day, too, when we’ll have to sell our house and downsize in some condo or apartment. I like the space. About your orange neighbor, years ago I remember reading about a fad in France that involved women ingesting Vit A in copious amounts so that they’d be orange. Maybe this woman is French? 😉

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  5. I’m always amazed at people who make themselves look like clowns. I guess this woman thought the tan spray looked good. I hope so anyway! I just finished a book about getting ready for aging, and I have to admit that I only skimmed over the chapter on making sure one becomes aware of nearby assisted living communities. It’s admittedly not a happy subject. Hope that deck is finished this week! – Marty

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  9. We had a garage sale when we moved to the Philippines. I must have been crazy to do it when my baby was only 2 or 3 wks. old. Luckily the other two, ages 1 and 3, were well behaved. My grandma rocked the baby. I haven’t had a garage sale since. When my daughter moved recently, she put things out on the driveway with a free sign, and they were gone in no time. That’s always nice.

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  10. I was surprised at how little came out of the auctions of my parent’s belongings. I donated anything the auctions wouldn’t take that I thought someone might find useful – including office supplies as there are only so many envelopes I will likely ever use or pens and pencils since, how often do I write by hand? We lived in an impossible area for a garage sale but, like you, they frustrate me. Everyone thinks you should give stuff away for free. I don’t have enough stuff to do a full garage sale and what I have, I really need to get valued. If I knew a fair price I might try selling it on ebay. I keep seeing stories about how my vintage corning ware is worth the big bucks but I think you need to find some who is willing to pay those big bucks!

    I await the completion of your deck. I hope the last few little things go quickly and easily.

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    • I have a friend who insists her corning ware is valuable. She hasn’t sold her home in years because it’s hard to find the buyer so instead she carries the cost of a second home. Lots of stuff on Ebay. Not sure if it’s moving.

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  12. I always love a garage sale – not! You paid $50 for it, you put a $10 sticker on it, and they ask if you’ll take $2. Been there, done that, now I just donate it and get a tax write off. 🙂 Applause on getting close to the end of deck project. Regarding change, do you ever wonder if you missed the ‘Golden Years,’ or you didn’t appreciate them when you lived through them. I do. 🙂

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    • I’m with you on the garage sale. Many years ago, my next door neighbor had a big one as they were relocating to Florida. He spent a lot of time organizing, pricing, etc. He ran it for three days. He ended up with less than $2K. He had furniture and high end items. I think he would have done better with an auctioneer. He was able to sell some furniture privately but the garage sale was too much work.

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  13. I haven’t been to a garage sale in years. In fact, I haven’t seen one around here in a long time. I have thinking about looking into “senior” living places. There is one downtown that sounds interesting. So far I have just been in the thinking stage. Anxiously awaiting the big deck reveal!

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    • We looked at some over 55 places locally. Where we are almost everyone is over 55 but there is no age restriction. The advantage was the amenities — pool, walking trails, clubhouse, courts, snow/grass care, etc. but the HOA monthly cost was high too.

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  14. I’ve been in a mad tear getting rid of things before I change my mind. What doesn’t go on our local Buy Nothing site goes to my favorite charity shop. I would love to have a neighborhood yard sale but I’m not an organizer so someone else would have to lead the charge. Good news about your deck!

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    • We participated once in a neighborhood yard sales before my husband put his house on the market. It was easy because we didn’t have any marketing to do. Just put the stuff out and sell it!

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  16. A neighborhood jumble (as the British call them) is a great idea and people love them because it is like shopping at a mall. I love checking garage sales out but try to avoid them as I don’t need more stuff. Your neighborhood sounds great. Glad the deck is almost done.

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  18. Outstanding news on the deck project. Hope you’ve got loads of lemonade chilled for the reveal. 😉 I’m at the age where culling possessions is almost a religious experience. I’m no good with garage sales and have lost my patience with Facebook Marketplace or CraigsList millennials who think you owe them special treatment. That said, I’m to the point where putting things out in the alley and seeing folks snag up the stuff that doesn’t get shipped off to Goodwill just makes my heart happy.

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  19. Since you moved – and needed to downsize to do so – only a short bit ago, do you really have enough “stuff” to warrant setting up a table and do all of the organizing and pricing to make it worth your while? I admit, I do like to wander yard sales, much like I wander thrift shops, but I’m only looking for something to jump out at me and say, “You need me! Please take me home with you!” Of course, within a couple of years, it’s in a box to donate to my local thrift store because I didn’t REALLY need it!

    I’m glad progress is, indeed, making its way on your deck!

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    • We have some things that I kept in case I could use it. Our new house is so different from the last one and we were going to do some work so I didn’t want to donate anything that might be useful. Turns out that’s mostly bunk. I recently got rid of several lamps. Since we were doing the kitchen reno over the Christmas holidays, I didn’t put anything out. I’m sure I’ll donate a lot of Christmas decorations once I figure out what works here. I rarely go to yard sales unless I’m looking for something specific. I’m not a fan of antiques and the garden tools they have out are usually junk.

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  20. Good for you . . . relocating those planter boxes to someone who might find a use for them.

    The circle of life is an apt metaphor ~> we start at the bottom, rise up to the top of the circle, and then begin a downward descent. The uphill climb is like a slow moving roller coaster struggling to the apex. It takes “forever” to finish school and get out in the real world. And then the downward descent commences, racing along . . . with no brakes.

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    • Perfect metaphor. There is a meme of the progress of man starting and ending with a bent over version. I truly felt sad for this man and admire that he has managed to keep his wife out of a home for the past few years. She’s somewhat mobile (or was last time I saw her) needing walkers or wheelchairs to manage but her mind is gone.

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  21. An annual neighborhood garage sale is an excellent. You don’t have to do individual advertising and you have a designated day to get rid of stuff.

    Woods and cemeteries would be much quieter than the school across the street. Maybe someday.

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