Black Jack Gum, Gold Toe Socks, Plus Other Bargains & Blessings

In honor of A-Town reader Professor PBS (who I’m not actually sure frequents LiAT, but I hope he checks in occasionally), today’s garage sale finds:

Four pairs of brand-new Gold Toe ladies’ socks: $1.50

An unopened package of Black Jack gum: 5 cents

One pair of bright orange flip-flops (worn twice): 10 cents

A pristine set of Avon overnight hair curlers: $3

Ziploc bag containing a veritable rainbow of assorted nail polish: $1

Bona fide guest bed (the fold-up kind you find in hotels—including the mattress, minus the bed bugs): $35

One very classy taupe linen short-sleeved skirt suit, worn only once by my friend on the happy occasion of her dream-job interview (successfully secured): $20

An assortment of unopened, not-yet-used Mary Kay lotions and beauty aids, all bargain-priced for quick sale: $5

Farmhouse wood kitchen table, with 2 leaves and 4 chairs, plus felt-backed, custom-fitted, protective padded covers for the tabletop: Free! A pay-it-forward blessing from my friend Laura, host of the sale

Two nonfiction paperback books: 50 cents (and a freebie hardcover John Irving book—score!)

Also free (and priceless): A lovely wooden bird to hang from my ceiling. Laura saw me admiring it and insisted I take the “friendship bird” she received by mail several years ago from her Russian pen pals. It was one of the things she regretted parting with as she moved, so she gladly gave it to me.

And…last but not least on my list of things I’m happy to have obtained: A new toaster! Also free! Gotta love that. Some people go to all the trouble of setting up a checking account to secure that homiest of small kitchen appliances. I simply showed up at my friend’s garage sale.

(There it is again—that recurring adage, that nugget of truth: “Eighty percent of life is showing up.”)