We are packed into Mogo (my Subaru Forester) and on the road. We have a 2.5 hour drive to Franklin, MA tonight, where we will stay overnight in a pet friendly Residence Inn. Then we will get up and out early tomorrow morning for hour 2 hour drive onto the Cape, and have our inaugural vacation breakfast at either Liz’s Cafe or Bayside Betsy’s. (Or Cafe Heaven, or the Post Office, or…)

This overnight in Franklin isn’t absolutely necessary, but we like doing it because:

1. We get to start our adventure a night earlier.

2. We can get on the Cape early in the AM and avoid heavy traffic.

3. Splitting the car trip in half is easier on Harvey, who does OK for about 2 hours before he starts to get really antsy.

One of the (many) things that fascinates me about Harvey: how does such a tiny dog have such a long tongue?

Now that he realizes we’re not dropping him off at the Kennel, Harvey has finally laid down and quieted his panting (mostly.) I would not say he loves car rides, but he no longer cries and whimpers like he used to, and is pretty good overall, now that he has a seat that sits up front in the center console between Jeffrey and me.

Of course, we love (and prefer) having him with us, and I think he is happier being with us in the car than he would be at home alone without us. And I KNOW he loves all the walks he gets in Ptown.

Although he gets a lot of attention from passers by (he really is even cuter in person, if you can believe that,) he isn’t particularly fond of strangers and shows no interest in interacting with them most of the time. He’s not mean, doesn’t growl or hide from them, he’s just completely disinterested in any interaction with them, which seems to surprise people that such an adorable puppy isn’t friendlier. They stop to pet him and he just looks at us as if to say “Why are we stopping for these peasants? I’ve got more smells to explore!”

What can I say? He’s spoiled, so why should he bother with the attention of strangers when he has the complete and utter devotion of, and around the clock pampering from, two loyal servants and care takers?

Maybe we’re not taking Harvey to Ptown after all…maybe he’s taking us!

In 1 day, we will head to Franklin, MA and stay overnight.

In 2 days, we will be back in Provincetown.

In 5 days the BFJ will join us.

In 8 days I turn 53 and will celebrate my birthday with friends at our (rented) condo.

In 9 days, I have less than 2 years until retirement.

I am very excited.

It was beautiful out today when we got home from work, so we headed to the pavilion to enjoy the sunshine and warm temps. Then it got windy and overcast and we could smell the rain coming, so we headed in, but not before I snapped a bunch of pics of Harvey pretending to ignore me while he lounged in his bougie backyard bed.

Oh, to have his life.

The yard sale I had with the BFJ this past Saturday was pretty successful, in my opinion. I only made about 50 bucks, but most of the stuff I was selling I marked a dollar so that it would go quickly. And a few items that I had marked higher than a dollar (an extension ladder, a set of end tables, a box of odd comics ) I actually only charged people half of what I had it priced as. This was never about making any money for me. It was about getting rid of perfectly good things that were just taking up space on my house and didn’t need to, so I was excited to watch people picking things up and walking away than I was to get any amount of money.

The BFJ wasn’t quite as successful in his endeavor. While he made more money than me, he sold a smaller percentage of his stuff. To be fair, he had about five times as much stuff as I did, so overall he did sell more things and make more money, but he went home with more leftover stuff that I had left of my stuff. however, he was mostly pleased with what he was able to get rid of and so we agreed it was a success. I highly doubt I will have another garage sale in my lifetime. There’s a chance we may do an estate sale when we go to sell the house, but that will be a little different and we will certainly charge more money for our remaining belongings if we decide to sell them.

It was no surprise that I was unable to sell some of the less appealing things, like our squatty potty (my “As Seen on TV” sign did not seem to heighten anyone’s interest in it) our clothes basket, a poster size picture frame, a bunch of small desk organizers,  and the obligatory small pile of old VHS and DVD movies (although one guy actually wanted one of them so I just let him have it. I couldn’t live with myself charging him for an old VHS movie.)

It was also no surprise that, within the first 2 hours, people left with a 5 x 7 carpet, a giant disco ball, all dog accessories,  two sleds, a tricycle, and the extension ladder.

The biggest surprise was how popular the BFJ’s grandmothers old jewelry was. The clip on earrings and large bangles and bobbles (necklaces, bracelets, and brooches) were a huge hit and he sold most of them. Is there some resurgence in fashion that people are clamoring for old Timey jewelry again?

Several of the earlier visitors were clearly dealers who were looking to grab some cheap product that they could resell for more money (which was fine with us.) A few asked if we were bringing anything else out and asked for specific items. everyone commented at how cheap we had everything priced and seemed very happy with the items they walked away with.

I was surprised ( geez I’m using that word a lot in this post) at how comfortable I was interacting with all the people, chatting about the various items, and just having general discussions about the good weather and yard sales and all the odd little things people tend to make small talk about when they’re snooping through your old crap. I dare say it was even a little fun.

So I’m glad we did it, and now there are a few less things in my house and a little more space.

I have been plagued my whole life with an internal dichotomy: I love having stuff, especially stuff I collect, and being surrounded by fabulous, colorful, fun things that I enjoy; but I also love a clean and clear sparsely decorated space. I cannot abide clutter so, despite having more tchotchkes and knickknacks than a curiosity shop, everything is displayed and organized neatly for maximum viewing pleasure. I do not keep boxes and boxes of stored items in our basement or closets, aside from Christmas decorations that get put up every year. I had to really search through the house to find anything to put out for the garage sale and I struggled with getting rid of most of the things I did find.

I know we will have to downsize when it comes time to sell the house and move to a smaller space in a few years, so I am really trying to identify the “must keep” items and the “I can live without them” items. But it is hard to decide which giraffe pieces I will keep, which comic books will stay with me, which Peanuts items will make the cut, and which superhero collectibles will make their way to our future abode. perhaps the first step is to stop acquiring new stuff, which I am trying very hard not to do but once a collector…

Lest it seem like I’m complaining in any way, let me assure you: I know it is a privilege and luxury to have so much stuff that I can’t decide what to get rid of. All these bits and pieces were pulled together by yours truly to create the home environment that we have lived in for the past 12+ years, and dismantling such a monument to our taste, comfort, and interests is no easy task.

For now, though, I’m just going to enjoy having my stuff and not having all that recently jettisoned other stuff lying around taking up precious space.

And I’ll probably use my 50 bucks to buy more stuff.

HA!

I spent all night catching up on blogs and now I’m too tired to write my own post. But so glad to be caught up and see you are all doing (mostly) well. Sending hugs and love to all those dealing with hardships.

Something I Thought about:

How great it was to get rid of so much stuff at our garage sale Saturday. It’s inspired me to keep going and pare our stuff down even more!

Something I Saw:

Another fantastic episode of Marvel’s X-Men ‘97 Animated Series on Disney +. Marvel keeps knocking it out of the park with each episode. Sadly, I can’t say the same for Part 1 or 2 of DC’s animated re-imagining of the classic “Crisis on Infinite Earth’s” comic series from the 80’s, on HBO Max. Horrible and unrecognizable as anything even remotely similar to the comic story that inspired it. My favorite comic mini-series ever has been turned into the worst animated adaptation ever. Shame on you DC! Do better!

Something I Heard:

The wonderful sounds of Birds chirping, whistling, and singing in our back yard once again, throughout the morning and day. Few sounds are sweeter to my ears.

Something I Tasted:

A wonderful seafood dinner at a relatively new (to us) local restaurant (Max410). It’s our second time there, but won’t be our last. In fact, we’re going back Tuesday before seeing “Six” (again) at Proctors Theater in Schenectady.

Something I Learned:

I can flip the tops of my child-proof medicine caps upside down, and it’s a lot easier to open and close them. Why did nobody tell me this before now?!?’v

Something I Accomplished:

A successful yard sale and clearing out clutter!

Something I Created:

Fun ads on FB for my Yard sale. Several people who came by complimented me on my ad, which read:

You’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
You’ve got whozits and whatzits galore
You’ve got thingamabobs (more than twenty!)

But who cares?
No big deal
You need more…”

(Lovingly swiped from “Little Mermaid.)

It’s been a crazy busy week. Between work, helping my Mom out more (she had another hip displacement and is back in a brace), chores, and prepping for the yard sale this weekend, my head is spinning. However, I’m never too busy to stop and enjoy a few minutes of beautiful afternoon weather on my patio while the birds serenade me.

Of course, SOME of us were out here enjoying the weather all day:

What a life, eh?

The BFJ drove up from CT after work today to bring a car load of loot for the joint Yard Sale we’re having on Saturday at my house. Apparently, he’s got another load to deliver when he returns on Thursday. (Oh stop!)

So what is a Sassybear and his BFJ (and hubby) to do on a random Tuesday evening? Why, have Friday night cocktails (Blood Orange Cosmos for us, Gin martini for Jeffrey) on a Tuesday, of course, and watch “Down With Love.”

Cheers! Here’s to breaking the rules and entertaining on a “school night.”

Hope your Friday was full of good images, too!