Yardselling — at $5 an hour

Marti and I just finished spending 7 + hours in the sun in August in Arizona. We might possibly be insane (this is related to the sun, for those who may have agreed previously). Why? Because I have a terrible problem with clutter. Somehow my house, my two-year-old, and my storage areas collect clutter, seemingly without my knowledge. I have to wonder if the clutter is secretly multiplying in the dark, shady and cool corners of my house. I certainly don’t remember buying that extra dish strainer, or having TWO sets of those horrible shoes. Somehow, it creeps in under the door and through the cracks (of which my house has many), rolling in through the windows and sometimes slipping into my shopping bags as I come in from the car. It’s insidious, I tell you. So, in a vain attempt to eradicate the clutter, we decided to have a yard sale. I waited expectantly for some unsuspecting person to come by, and tried foisting fondue pots and extra margarita cups on helpless (or is it hapless?) residents, but resistance was strong. Some of the sweetest looking grannies are really hard-core yard sale buffs, calling my bluffs and slipping out of my grasp as I tried to place ugly coffee cups in their handbags and slip nameless knicknacks in their trouser pockets (Sorry! I thought that was your pocket). I was fast, but they were faster. However, we DID reduce the number of things to put back. After five hours of sitting in the heat, we tallied up our cashwad and discovered — hey, we made $5.00 an hour. Whoohoo! Off to buy… more clutter.