And my heart swells with joy.
To be sure, part of that joy is related to my anticipation of warmer temperatures, but even stronger is the anticipation for my greatest thrifty pleasure - garage saling.
As a thrifty-minded person, it's easy to rationalize my passion for garage sales: used items are cheaper than new, and it's also a good way of getting my recommended daily allowance of the three R's. But if I were to be completely honest, I would have to admit that my love of garage sales is probably more firmly rooted in a long-ago childhood pursuit - treasure hunting.
Just like a kid on a treasure hunt, I have my special equipment which includes, among other things, a map, a compass, and a snack for the journey ahead. And just like a kid on a treasure hunt, I begin my quest with a sense of urgency and optimism.
Because you just never know what treasures await you on your garage sale expedition.
One sunny Saturday I met Bill, for example. He was 76 years old, and was selling an assortment of craft tools and supplies. For years he had been an avid builder of miniature ships, and he showed me part of his collection. Most of the boats had already been given to his children and grandchildren he explained, but he still had a few of his tiny creations, perfect in every detail. A recent stroke that left him partially paralyzed had put an end to his ship-building days, and I walked away from our conversation a few dollars poorer, but somehow feeling much richer in other ways.
And then there was the woman whose name I never did learn. She was hosting a garage sale on behalf of herself and a couple of friends who didn't have the luxury of owning a garage. Wandering among the tables was a friendly old black dog, his eyes a cloudy white. The dog had gone completely blind when he wasn't much more than a pup, the woman told me. But he was her friend and companion, and over the years, between the two of them, they had "managed to get by all right."
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