Yard Sale

On Sunday, S and I had a yard sale. We've had quite a few over the years, especially with K, and we always have fun. Our yard sale was mostly a bust- metaphorical tumbleweeds were blowing through, and it was the coldest day of the year- but it was a lovely excuse to spend a few hours with my dear friend, and with few customers, we had plenty of time to talk and reconnect.

Lots of time to just watch the trees sway in the strong wind. A beautiful yellow butterfly was grounded, seemingly by the powerful wind. It landed on the front walkway, and didn't move again, even after lots of encouragement from S. A hummingbird spent some time among the birds of paradise. The cold set in. It started to rain.

Yard sales always seem to bring out some truly outrageous characters, but on Sunday, we met only a handful of very polite people. It was pleasant, but I couldn't help but be a tad disappointed by the lack of drama. Think of the blog, people! I need some organically outrageous stories! (At a yard sale with K years ago, a woman arrived with a pot bellied pig, and her van indeed resembled a pig sty. That was the sort of encounter I was counting on!)

We were literally closing up, when an older woman burst onto the scene, talking animatedly and very loudly on her cell phone. She nearly walked right into my house, then turned and wandered the yard while engaging in a very noisy phone call in another language. S and I were amused and satisfied- FINALLY, our outrageous customer had arrived!

While talking- no, shouting- and gesticulating on the phone, she bent down, picked up the butterfly, and placed it upon our yard sale wares. The butterfly- seemingly lifeless for nearly an hour- stirred, then started to fly! S and I were mesmerized. Was our outrageous yard sale customer also a healer? A healer of butterflies, no less?!

She finally got off the phone and apologized to us for her conversation. We exchanged pleasantries, and then she remarked upon the towering tree that hangs over our front yard. She said it is an Iranian tut (pronounced "toot") tree. (A quick Google search seems to indicate that tut is a mulberry tree.) She regaled us with tales of buying this fruit from a fruit vendor every morning as a child in Iran, about her marriage and divorce, about the tut tree in the yard of the home she shared with her (now ex) husband and how it took her 8 years to recognize the tree in her yard ("8 YEARS!" she screamed).

What I loved most about our outrageous character was that despite her outrageousness, which initially reduced her to a caricature, she was so very lovely and human. When she strode into the yard, screaming into her cell phone, I expected to write a tart little entry making fun of this character of a woman. And she was/is a character! But she is a character in the best sense- a larger than life personality who actually possesses character. She really took the time to connect with us, sharing memories, breaking through the polite chit chat of strangers to really communicate. S and I both enjoyed this encounter immensely, and it brings a smile to my face today as I type.