Waking up early in the mountains and walking along the lake before anyone is around or shops are open is the way to enjoy it on a heavily impacted Labor Day weekend. By 8 am the Waffle House was jammed and we headed home with Jensen’s bagels and apple fritter goodies.

After a few morsels of breakfast for Cindi, M and I, we jumped back in the pick up truck and with memories of last year’s bargains, we swung our way over to the once a year Labor Day weekend Rummage sale at one of the nearby churches. Everyone is having a garage, estate or yard sale!

Last year, we purchased Cindi’s mountain stroller we used again today, for $10. Amongst clothes, house ware goods, gardening paraphernalia, baked goods and coffee, there lies a room with books. In this small, compact space, juicy discoveries were made, paid for and taken home, now safely put away on my shelves, a few titles set aside to bring down the hill and a few set aside to read by my lounge chair in a few moments. The best find by far was a first edition of Jane Goodall’s In the Shadow of Man, from the early seventies, signed. 

In the house wares I found a brand new Sheffield relish plate with spoon and glass dish set atop a simple West German silver platter for $3. I bought vegan treats to die for, for a mere $4 (lemon madelines and oatmeal/nut cookies with frosting). I also found a rare electric wind chime propelled into tinkling by an underneath fan that my yogini ladies and I will fawn over. Imagine not needing to play the chimes while I use both hands to whirl the brass tone out of my Tibetan singing bowls.

In the large women’s wear room, I took a liking to a delicious, pearl white, laced, petite,  Spencer Alexis number with the tags still in place (supposedly suggesting it was never worn). Another woman took it into the dressing room and tried it on.  I went over to check out the treats once again and told my husband all about the dress that got away when suddenly the volunteer from the clothes rack is right by my side. From way across about four rooms down, she had come over to announce that apparently it was available, it didn’t fit the other woman. I hurried down the hallway and as I was about to use the makeshift, corner dressing “room”, shielded only by a 6 foot folding divider, the former try-er on-er let me know, out loud so everyone could hear,  it would not fit me (like pleeeeeezzzze, it didn’t fit me, it will never fit yooooouuuuuu). Well, then, I had to make it fit. And so it did. The volunteer helped me zip it up and I explained it was snug but I WAS five pounds over my usual weight, don’t you know? Doesn’t everyone gain a little extra during the summer? But no worries, it zipped, it DID fit and that other lady could just go spit. A little known fact is I am always a few pounds away from my ideal weight that’s why it is ideal and not in my destiny but maybe once a decade. And that’s how I got my size 2, $198 dress for $25.

Hopefully, I will be able to slither into it next time I do a liquid juice fast.

I better stop eating bagels, vegan madelines and fried anythings for a while. Oh well, after Labor Day…and snuggling and munching while reading my new Agatha Christie paperback.