Back to my "roots"

I was only 6 years old when my Dad died, so I don't remember all too much about him. I remember that he had a bunch of colorful glass paperweights. I remember a thick-yarned knit cap he used to wear. I remember when he taught me how to draw fluffy clouds.

My mom has told me stories about how my dad used to go to garage sales all the time. When he passed away, she said the basement was FILLED with his stuff. She proceeded to pay someone money to haul all the stuff away. In retrospect, that kind of pisses me off---what could I have done back then? I didnt even understand what was happening.

I like to think that even though he wasn't around when I was growing up, that certain qualities of my dad have been passed down to me...like... my current fondness for glass paperweights... and my enjoyment of garage sales and fleamarkets.

I used to go to garage sales all the time in high school. I'd buy stupid stuff. Case in point: I remember buying a felt beet... I hung it on my bedroom wall. And I was obsessed with bright green and pink paisley/60s prints. The garage sale habit ended after college. This apartment is small enough as it is---no need to bring in more clutter---and the felt beet has long been gone.

Today, on a whim, I went to this rummage sale @ a local church. It SUCKED...random junk in boxes, unlabeled. I drove around for awhile and went to a few more garage sales. I love it because it's a sneak peek into someone's home and life. At this one house, there were a bunch of CDs like Offspring, Collective Soul, Green Day, etc. I guessed they had to belong to someone my age...I had most of those CDs in high school. At another house, I got to talking to the owner, this older and feisty lady, and she was telling me most of the stuff for sale at her house was stuff she got at other garage sales. The piles of STUFF on her lawn seemed endless.

I hate the garage sales where nothing has a price on it. Argh.

I'm home now and I was pretty conservative with my purchases... the buy of the day? Definitely these tacky, gold (spray painted?) eagle bookends :)

Also...I found this seashell-themed stationary set that I used to have when I was younger. I knew it was the same one b/c the company was Olympia. When I was 10 or 11, I used to go door-to-door selling stuff from Olympia sales club: wrapping paper, stationary, knickknacks, etc. You'd win prizes for selling a certain amount. It was like being Willie Loman, but the 10 year old version.

Being a kid now sucks... you're not "allowed" to sell door-to-door b/c of possible "bad people." Essentially, most of us are good people...or so I like to think.