[ Tuesday, May 18, 2004 ]
I wanted to post last night. But at 12:30 in the morning I thought 'If I start now I won't ever shut up.' I've missed this. Whatever it is. Tangible internal dialogue. Documentation of life. Random narrative.
I haven't written anything that even resembles a poem in a while. Yesterday I scribbled some lines. Inspiration still lingering from the weekend. Friday night we made our annual pilgrimage to the holy land. Trenton, Ohio in late May is Redneck Mecca. Rows & rows of houses & streets with cast-offs for sale in the yard or garage. Last year I lost my Trenton Yard Sale virginity. We left out at 6:00 in the morning. Invaded Ohio. By 10:00 we were scouring yards for the deal of a lifetime. The rain came. Vigilant, we continued. Just like the United States Postal Service, rain nor hail nor snow nor anything short of the apocolypse could stop us. I came home still high of mothball fumes & glee. One fruit press & several aluminum creamers richer.
This year we wisened up. We left Friday evening. Around 8:00 Marcy, Lisa, Cody & I entered Cincinatti. There's something about being near a huge city that just excites me. Smokestacks. Six lanes of traffic. Graffiti in unimaginable places. Union member bumper stickers. The static. The energy. The hum of traffic. Goodyears whistling. Steering wheels transformed into makeshift drum sets. Soloists passing by us in maroon Hondas. As we drove past Cincinatti hyped up on the city & the prospect of bargains, I realized that I was composing lines of poetry in my head. Totally unaware of the process but picking out words, forming lines to describe the thoughts roaming through my head. That's not happened in a long time.
Friday night we stayed with my cousin Terri. Usually if I'm in a strange place I don't sleep at all. I toss. I turn. The house is too quiet or too loud. I don't have my fan. I don't have my knit jersey sheets. Lisa & I walked into the room we'd be sleeping in. (Terri gave up her room so Lisa, the baby & me could sleep in her bed.) King size bed. Egyptian cotton sheets. Ceiling fan. T.V. mounted in the corner of the room. Lisa & I just looked at each other. She was thinking 'Hell yeah, Nick at Night!!!'. And I was thinking 'A ceiling fan & soft sheets. We've hit the jackpot.' When we went to bed Cody was wide-eyed. So me & Lisa sang about four hundred verses of The Wheels on the Bus. As I was trying to go to sleep I felt Lisa tugging my sheet. I looked over at her & she pointed to the T.V. Orange County Choppers was on. I slept like a log that night. Even Cody's two little feet stuck right up in my face didn't bother me.
Saturday the rest of the family came in. When I say that, I don't mean two or three more relatives showed up. We were like a herd. Thirteen of us came from Kentucky in 4 different vehicles. Terri, Randy, Chelsea, June, Justin, Meaghan, Joe & Rene all live in Ohio. We were 21 total although we scattered during the day then regrouped. When we hit Trenton we were armed with beach bags, pull along carts, homemade totes & at least one truck. Believe me, scouring yard sales with this bunch is not for the faint of heart. At one point we were all lined up on the sidewalk like ducks & Randy stepped out onto the street pointing his umbrella like a traffic director. It was funny. The site of us foreigners strolling Trenton sidewalks thirsty for junk.
Around 6:30 it was just me, Marilyn & Lisa left. Everyone else had gone to Terri's to eat dinner. Lisa went to get the Jeep & Marilyn & I hit the last garage full force. We came out of there loaded down. I had my pull along bag filled to the hilt. Had a box of wine glasses tucked under my arm. Marilyn had her beach bag full & was packing a $1 Thigh Master under her arm. We looked like bag ladies. The wheels on my buggy gave as we went down the sidewalk toward the Jeep. It was zig zagging back & forth, scraping the pavement. We were losing our grip on the wine glasses & Thigh Master. I think people passing by were pointing & telling their spouses 'Look, Honey. There's two from Kentucky right there.'
It was fun though. When we got back to Terri's we were starved. But at least we didn't have to wait in line to eat. Terri had ordered a cake. I thought it would be for my aunt Rene's birthday. Instead it read: One man's junk is another man's treasure. With a big yardsale sign & balloons at the bottom. I cracked up. We are hard core.
With all of us together like that, there were too many funny moments to remember. Marilyn took the cake though. On our way to Trader's World, she said "God Lisa, turn that heat off. I'm an old lady with desires. I'm back here having a hot flash."
I could have fallen over laughing.
~ Rebecca 6:02 PM [+]
