I am writing tonight after a very satisfying day. We had our annual neighborhood garage sale, which proved to be as much fun as it has been in years past. We started bright and early this morning (Ray and I were putting signs out at 6:30) and our first customers arrived exactly at 7 am. Sales were slow at first, but over the course of the day, we had a steady stream of customers. I am happy to report that Ray and I exceeded our goal of $100 by almost 50 dollars, and our other participants brought in more money than they expected, as well. That may not seem like much for a day’s work, but please consider that everything Ray and I sold has cluttered up our storage building for at least a year. Also, there were no fine prizes scattered among the discards. This was pure, unadulterated junk. Okay, well, there were a few little prizes that I bought from my fellow sellers…
The weather was pleasant all day under the trees and there was a nice breeze blowing that kept us all fairly cool. In years past, we have been either too hot or too cold. Last year, for example, a “norther” blew in just before the sale and temperatures dropped by about 30 degrees in only a few minutes. We spent much of the sale huddled inside the then unfinished Dimmit House (which we were in the middle of restoring) and we and the customers shivered as we exchanged our quarters and dollar bills.
The best part of today – besides the neighborly camaraderie – was the unexpected appearance of several people who stopped by specifically to see Lyon House. This included one of my Facebook friends and hometown Bonham compatriots, Jo Ann Wilson, who drove over from Tom Bean to visit us and see our house. Thank you, Jo Ann, for coming. That was so sweet of you! In addition, we had several fellow “old house” owners/restorers in Sherman who dropped by and told us they had been watching our progress over the past few years. They were all delighted when I asked them if they’d like a house tour, and off we went together. As I pointed out the different choices we’d made in different rooms, they all had the same response: “This looks as if you bought if from the original 1895 owners, contents and all.” This was the best compliment they could have given since that was our stated goal from the beginning – make the house look as original as possible.
So, off to bed I go now with both a glad heart and a lighter load. There is nothing more satisfying than depositing all unsold garage sale items at your local Salvation Army. Our trash will become their treasure and we can now actually walk through our storage building!
One more thank you to all who dropped by. Your visit was a real treat.
And now, good night. I hope everybody had a happy Saturday.
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