One week ago today we celebrated Essex Day with the mother of all yard sales. This recycling and reuse extravaganza was cohosted with several friends who were similarly interested in downsizing their possessions. If something’s not being used regularly, pass it on! Today it’s time for a quick yard sale postmortem.
Prologue
For prologue, this:
We will be hosting a recycling sale this weekend to coincide with Essex Day, our annual community-wide summer festival.
[…]
After seventeen years it’s time to downsize and pass along the goodies to others. (Source: Yard Sale on Essex Day)
Epilogue
For epilogue, here’s the skinny. With a ton of help from Pam, Supi, Tony, and Glen we emptied our home and carriage barn of excess in the hopes of rehoming our no-longer-necessaries. (I’ll revisit this Essex-excess duplet anon.) With spirited collaboration from Denise, John, and Cheri, Susan and I dramatically downsized our surplus into others’ treasures. And with a man who arrived at the proverbial 11th hour (as if answer-to-prayer) to happily harvest everything — literally EVERYTHING — from the freeby pile as well as the friendly folks at Goodwill in South Burlington, we finished the weekend sans a single leftover!
Yard Sale Postmortem
Suffice to say that downsizing (right-siding!) and minimizing have become bywords for Susan and my latest chapter. If you’re not using it, rehome it. Sometimes this is logical and easy. Sometimes it’s not. And the exercise, applied across-the-board, has catalyzed plenty of important shifts in our thinking. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, let’s stick with today’s yard sale postmortem.
This 2-day “sell it if we don’t use it” push was primarily practical in its inception. After 17 years, Rosslyn is storing too many items that are no longer relevant, necessary, or even important to us. Life. Stuff collects. Needs change. Toys and tools become obsolete. Youngsters grow up, and grow older. Through some mysterious force of alchemy treasures become detritus. Domestic eutrophication…
Primarily practical, I’ve said, but also a little bit romantic and a little bit sentimental. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the things that once mattered to us. They’re invested with memories, nostalgia, meaning at once enduring but ineffable. Handing these items off, one-by-one to those with whom they find resonance, makes it easier to let go. Makes it fun!
And so I will simply say, by way of grading our 2023 recycling extravaganza, our yard sale postmortem was an A+ success. Thank you, everyone, who made it so.
Photo Essay
Now for the visually inclined, a quick photo essay will better serve as our yard sale postmortem. Many memorable moments!
Under the big tent, a dozen big tables laden with, well, just about everything!
From furniture and architectural salvage to sporting equipment and bike racks, china and crystal to clothing and shoes, wood chipper and lawn mower to jewelry and books, there was something for everyone.
From bikers to babies, we welcomed everyone.
Lots of families, and lots of smiles.
Plenty of free toys for kids and free toys for pets.
A canoe (with proceeds donated to the North Country SPCA) was a favorite with some of the youngsters.
How much is this stuffed animal? It’s free for you today! This is the trick to downsizing, downsizing, downsizing.
Trying on slippers together…
And trying on costumes!
At day’s end, I implored the universe to thin out the freebie pile so that we wouldn’t have to bring everything inside if it rained. And this mysterious gentleman showed up.
Enthusiastically took everything remaining!
A leather office chair, a handsome stove, even a new mattress that would certainly have been spoiled if the rains had come, all went into CJ’s truck to begin a new chapter somewhere else.
Goodbye, mattress!
Goodbye, door!
So many treasures packed into the back of this pick up while the man’s mother sat patiently in the front seat.
After thanking us, and before heading off, this timely gentleman taught us how to pick up chicks. Apparently an inside joke with the poultry pack!
After two days filled with yard sale inventory, the tent is once again empty.
And Monday morning the tent was dropped, packed up, and driven away. What a weekend!
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