Griz Bear Comments: : The things I do for Mrs. Griz
Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008
You wouldnít believe what I did last weekend ó well, at least not if you knew me. I took Mrs. Griz garage saling.
Itís not something I usually do. Mrs. Griz will tell you that. Though she loves to go, Iím not even very good company to have along.
It may be because it only takes me a minute or less to scope out a sale and see thereís no camera equipment worth looking at and Iím ready to leave before sheís even gotten started looking at all the goodies which appeal to her decorative eye.
It may not help when I drive but donít even get out of my pickup truck at the sales. Perhaps itís the scowl on my face or my reluctance to spend a dime for items which neither the seller nor I really need ó why else would they be offered in a garage sale ?
Anyway, Mrs. Griz loves to go and it was her birthday. So, when she asked me Saturday morning about my plans for the day, I surprised her and said I could take her to a few garage sales. She was ready to go before most folks even get up on a Saturday, so off we went.
She found a few goodies she couldnít leave behind and I watched for camera equipment ó it doesnít seem like many people even bother putting old film camera stuff out on the tables. I did find a small tripod hidden among other things while I was waiting for Mrs. Griz. I wouldnít have seen it at all, except Mrs. Griz was taking her time and I passed by it while going to ask her what was taking so long.
When we got back to the car, I found she had bought me a pistol cleaning kit for a dollar. Iím not sure why she bought it since I still have one I bought a year or more ago for 25 cents while waiting for her at a garage sale.
The funny thing is that I donít even own a pistol anymore. When I was in law enforcement, I owned several handguns and even trained other officers to shoot, but I donít own one now. She must know Iíve thought of buying one again and doing some target shooting. I wonder, since she bought me the cleaning kit, is that tacit approval to buy a pistol too ? I suppose Iíd better leave that one on my bucket list until I get a few other bills paid off.
She was entirely astonished that I decided to spend $ 2. 50 for an oil painting I liked ó a windmill on the prairie which reminded me of back home in the wilds of Kansas and windmills Iíve photographed before. She was even more surprised when I agreed to take a second painting of the skeleton of an abandoned covered wagon on the prairie for a combined bargain price. I guess itís that Iíve photographed old wagons left to rot on the prairies before too. You never know, the paintings might be worth something, and they look better than whatís hanging on the walls in my office now.
After several hours and more garage sales than I can count without taking off my boots, we still hadnít spent anywhere near the small amount of cash I had allotted for the special excursion to keep Mrs. Griz happy.
Then we came across an exercise bike for a bargain price. It looked as though someone else had bought it with good intentions and the intentions waned. Well, we both enjoy riding a bicycle, but donít get the opportunity to ride very often because of work schedules and ó lately ó the rainy weather. It seemed like a good deal and will be, for both of us, if our intentions donít wane as well. Weíve been faithful at riding for two days now.
Anyway, then there was this auction and a 1960 s model camera ó from the pre-plastic era when cameras were made of metal and had good glass lenses. Well, I spent a few more dollars to give it a good home and a new life, capturing quality images on film instead of digital images which are gone when the delete button is pushed or the hard drive crashes.
All-in-all, the day was a pretty good one. We didnít spend much at all and picked up a few good items ó even if Mrs. Griz wasnít as impressed with the paintings as I was.
But Iím afraid Mrs. Griz may have seen me smile. She might know I enjoyed the day and even felt OK about the few items we purchased. She might start thinking that this was more than a charitable act of kindness in honor of her birthday. Then, she just might ask me again early next Saturday morning about my plans for the day. How do I convince her that this was only a once-a-year event and that going more often than that would take all the fun out of it ?
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