There's No Place Like Home for Yard Sales

I was happy to see that the weather was even nicer than yesterday when I got up this morning. I ran American Top 40 as I ate oatmeal and blueberries and got ready for today's errands. Casey jumped back a decade today to 1976. Hits during that Bicentennial summer included "Take the Money and Run" by the Steve Miller Band, "Moonlight Feels Right" by Starbuck, "Afternoon Delight" by the Starlight Vocal Band, the theme from "Happy Days" by Pratt & McCain, "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross, "Shannon" by Henry Gross, "Love Is Alive" by Gary Wright, and "Takin' to the Streets" by the Doobie Brothers.

That week's top hit was one of Paul McCartney's biggest under the "Wings" banner, and one of my favorite from Wings, "Silly Love Songs."

Today, the yard sales were finally in my own back yard. Oaklyn had it's town-wide yard sale this morning...and I did the best of any town-wide yard sale this year, without going further than the Collingswood Farm Market. In fact, my best find was about three blocks away on the other side of Manor Ave, near the Oaklyn Manor Bar. A woman was selling the John Wayne Signature Collection Warner Bros DVD set with four movies - The Searchers, The Cowboys, Rio Bravo, and Stagecoach - for a mere $5. I've seen the Signature sets go for anywhere from $30 to $70! Supposedly, the prints aren't all that great, but for 5 dollars for some good movies, who's gonna complain?

There were great sales all over the place. I saw someone selling an Atari, with accessories and a ton of games! Alas, they wouldn't lower their selling price of $150. I don't have that kind of money on me right now. I'll take a look at the ones at The House of Fun instead.

In addition to the Signature set, I eventually ended up with:

Another DVD, the second American Girl made-for-TV-movie, Felicity: An American Girl Adventure. Unlike the Samantha movie, I genuinely liked this when I rented it a few years ago and was glad to have it, especially for 50 cents.

Four books - one American Girl book, Meet Julie (the 70s historical character), and three vintage Disney story anthologies from the 50s and 60s, Stories From Other Lands, America, and Fantasyland. The last two came from the Oaklyn Library's Book Sale, a smaller version of their Book Sale and Flea Market from earlier in the spring.

Two videos, The Quiet Man (more John Wayne) and the 1939 serial Mandrake the Magician, the latter coming from the Library.

Two straw hats for my American Girl dolls. One is trimmed with green ribbon and a cute pale pink flower. Felicity wears it now. Molly claimed the plain tan one. I'll probably add ribbons to it the next time I can get to JoAnn's.

Three CDs - Rod Stewart - It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (the first one, from the looks of things)

Nat King Cole - Just One of Those Things (and More)

WOGL 98.1 Ultimate Christmas Album Vol. 6

And six records:

Helen Reddy - Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits

Steve Martin - Comedy Is Not Pretty

Led Zeppelin - CD/DA

Bryan Adams - Reckless

The original cast album for Oklahoma!

Wings of Sound, a K-Tel collection of some of the big hits of 1979

In the midst of all the sales, I did find time to get to the bank and deposit my paycheck and to the Farm Market. Between Father's Day and graduation parties, they were elbow-to-elbow when I finally made it over there around 10:30. Strawberries and asparagus are gone, replaced by raspberries and the very first Jersey corn of the season. I ended up with cherries, blueberries, snap peas, small organic heads of romaine and bibb lettuce, and a jar of blueberry butter.

It was quarter after 1 before I finally ended my yard-sale run. I put everything away and made cornmeal-battered chicken fingers and a salad with Farm Market-fresh lettuce for lunch while watching Three Stooges shorts. I had something doll-related waiting for me, too. Molly's Aviator Outfit, one of her limited edition retired outfits that I couldn't find, had arrived. I love the awesome jacket with the real insignia of the WASPs - I wish I could get an adult-sized one. The Acme had tried to call me in an hour early while I was out, but by the time I got home, it was too late for me to do anything but go in at the original 2:30.

As it turned out, they had their reasons. It had been long-lines busy all day, and there was a call-out in the morning. (One of the older women who is perpetually sick is gone again.) The long lines continued through the rest of the evening. I had to wait for the self-checkout person to relieve me so I could go home. (They wanted to get one of the kids from the bakery to come in. I could have told the managers that was a bad idea. The Bakery's a nut house right now, between cakes for Father's Day and special graduation orders.)

When I got in, I decided to try baking Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars while the weather remained relatively cool. I replaced the granulated sugar with grape fruit concentrate. They came out tasty...but very purple, and not very attractive. From now on, grape concentrate is limited to dark baked goods.