Feeling Flush

We have just had a ripe inflow of bounty. It appropriately reflects my excitement of fall and those images of cornucopian abundance.

It all started last weekend when we took our trip up north to the Thousand Islands. The moment we drove into the town of Alexandria Bay my eyes lit up to see a giant banner announcing it to be town wide yard sale weekend. What luck!

We live in a town where freecycling and yard-saling could be considered a profession. Luckily people are cool enough that even the leftover free piles usually have some good stuff left, but it was a real treat to have a rural upstate New York town spilling it’s vintage contents onto their driveways and front lawns all to ourselves. It was one of those right place at the right time sort of Saturday mornings.

Another angle so you can see the striped red sweater better. It is all wool, has a hood and fits perfectly and was two dollars. The turquoise is synthetic fibers, but I love the color and it has a slim fit (I’m not a fan of boxy sweaters) and the fifty cent price tag made it hard to resist.

The tea tins caught my eye right away. I think they are beautiful and am planning on sticking buttons, ribbons, loose change or anything other small bobble that needs a home.

I know you noticed that scarf, but did you really see how cute it was? This was from a Church sale and was a quarter. It helped that it matched my shirt perfectly and that we’ve been watching the first season of Mad Men on Netflix, so I was really feeling that 1950 housewife glam (well, minus all the sexist bull%*&#). I’m feeling especially grateful to be a wife and mother in this modern day after being reminded of the crap my grandmother was dealing with a few short generations ago. With my thanks I offer the headscarf…

…and the knot.

And we found this great toaster that works perfectly and cost a dollar.
(And gave us the opportunity to have fun with self-portraiture.)

You unknowingly had a sneak peak of Stone’s fifty cent shirt last week but I have to show it again. It’s one hundred percent cotton and the colors make this flannel shirt anything but drab. It’s already become a staple in his fall wardrobe.

Here is a close up of the hat Koala is wearing. Stone actually found four of them at a quarter each. They’re pretty sweet–never worn and who knows when they are from. 70s? 80s? We should of asked.

This lamp was never used in the box for six dollars. There were actually three of them and I am wishing I bought them all. It blends nicely anywhere and I’m even thinking I could cover the shade in fabric if I wanted too. Right now I like it just the way it is.

It wasn’t all style and toasters either. I found this book which has pictures on every page, which is a must for Solshine. It has excerpts from classic children’s stories. We just started to read some classic novels so this was a perfect find.

And by far my favorite find were these….

Amazing, right? I found six of the original Cricket: the magazine for children. They are dated 1974 and are labeled volume one. They are very fun and we’ve been reading through them at night before bed.

*** *** ***

On our way to Farmers Market this morning Stone and I were playing with the idea of trying to not buy anything new (for a month? a year? forever!) and instead stretch our creative skills. There is just so much stuff in the world already and life is much more artsy and funky when you redesign things to meet your needs.

I made a rare trip into Target last week with the kidlets and it turned out to be overwhelming and exhausting. The kids thought they died and went to Disneyland (can you say over stimulation) and I found myself equally stupified. I started craving things I didn’t even know I wanted and trying to talk myself into all sorts of household items and clothing.

There was a time where I thought nothing of walking into a large store and buying what I need but now I can’t help but ask the questions:

What country did this come from?
What is this material made of?
Does it have flame retardants or stain guards on it?
Were people fairly paid for their work?
Is this just going to break in a week and end up in a junk yard?

I see my dollar as my vote and it’s downright painful to hand it over to a large company that sees my town as a list of numbers. Sometimes I do it: I buy new underwear, a shirt, a slip cover for the couch, a bath mat; I grit my teeth as I pay, and I walk out reminding myself of all the ways I do contribute to a healthy planet and vibrant community.

It’s the opposite feeling of finding a town full of yard sales and handing my dollars over to old church ladies, moms, retired couples and families and walking away with treasures that might have ended up in the trash.

There’s no comparison.

Long live the yard sale.

Tagged as: Alexandria Bay, consumerism, yard sale