Monday, August 2, 2010

Tye-Tye


Tye-Tye
Oil on canvas, 12x12
Commission

It is absolutely amazing to me that if you put a bunch of old stuff out on a table, and sell it all at 50 cents or a dollar, you can end up with 200 bucks.

But that was our yard sale. We put up posters, and Peter wrote a very funny ad and placed it on Craigslist, and people came and took our old stuff home.

If you'd asked me, mid-afternoon, what we'd made, I'd have thought about the drawer full of silverware I sold for $3, and the meat slicer I sold for $5, and I'd have estimated our take at $40 or maybe $50.

In the end, I guess this is how it all works. Little bit by little bit by little bit, you build a life or a family or a relationship or a business or a career. You make a small decision here, take a tiny step there, and before you know it, you've got something that is much bigger - or much different - than you ever imagined.

All too often, I forget about miracles, and I shouldn't. I'm living one.


***

Here is the ad that Peter wrote:


YARD SALE - FREE ELEPHANT (Gales Ferry)



FUN YARD SALE!!!

All right, I lied about the elephant, but we've always taken great pride in accumulating some of the finest junk in Southeastern Connecticut. Your grandkids will be fighting over this stuff at the reading of your last will and testament. We've got a Fender Stratocaster, a microwave oven, a variety of decent books, pottery, new original art, (not junk - artists on premises) tin striper lures, fly tying lessons, and many, many, odds and ends that don't belong in a landfill (and a few that probably do). Lots of fun stuff. 20% discount for octogenarians - 50% buyer's premium for lawyers, insurance salesmen and convicted felons. Hard to go wrong. Free coffee for Red Sox fans. Bring lots of cash.

ATTENTION EARLY BIRDS AND BURGLARS: IF YOU CAN'T OUTRUN THESE GUYS, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!! DOGS WILL NOT BE CAGED AND FED UNTIL 9 AM SHARP! 

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4 comments:

Patrice said...

That is the most hilarious yard sale announcement I've ever seen. I'd have driven a hundred miles to see the elephant that wasn't there.

Congratulations on making the big bucks!

And Tye Tye is wonderful. What a great name.

Send a miracle my way. I'm taking a (gulp) typing test tomorrow morning. I freeze up on tests and I'm a lousy first round typist - but I'm a hell of an editor...

carrie jacobson said...

Hey, Patrice, thanks for the note. I think it's the funniest yard sale ad I've ever seen. It was great when people showed up wanting to know whether they qualified for the discount...

Roxanne Steed said...

OMG!!! that's the best ad EVER! love the fanged dog on the left!!

I'm really enjoying your recent blog postings!!! Hope to see you this weekend! funny about Tim Horton's...I park there to go to the Mystic Post office...I will never feel guilty about that anymore! :-)

carrie jacobson said...

Hi, Roxanne - Thanks for the note! The snarling dog on the left is actually just about the sweetest dog ever - I took that photo while she and my husband were playing a silly game. I did a painting from that photo, too. Odd that it's never sold...

Wish I'd gone with the plein air group to Old Lyme! We'll meet one of these days.

Thanks for joining the crusade against Tim Hortons,