Yesterday (Saturday) morning I finally got out for a long overdue run. As I huffed and puffed my way up the hill away from my house, I immediately saw the sign, a small rectangle with “Garage Sale” printed on it and realized that it was the first of two very important days each year when Scripps Ranch has their semi-annual community event. Yikes!! It’s a great tradition and always one I hear about and then promptly forget. Having been in my current home for 7 years, this should be enough motivation for me to get off my butt and rally the family to clean, thin and have fun making a few bucks while I get rid of the thousands of items the girls have me saving in what used to be MY garage.
Upon my arrival home Kris says, “Hey, tomorrow is the annual Scripps Ranch garage sale so we should clear out the girls closets and your garage.” “Wrong Kris, it’s today!” What to do?? I’m frustrated because I have missed yet another opportunity (until I hear about and promptly forget the date for the next community garage sale in October) to clean and reclaim my garage and free all of the closets in the house of their considerable burden. At this rate, I will be parking my car in the driveway for lack of garage space.
So as not to lose momentum entirely, Kris suggests that we at least take this rare opportunity when neither of us have a Saturday work commitment to go ahead and clean out the garage. This is kind of an all day affair where we basically take everything out, sweep, vacuum and/or blow out the dust and cobwebs and then put everything back in a (hopefully) less chaotic looking form. Still all of the same crap. It’s just more aesthetic.
Fast forward to 30 minutes later and we have assorted stuff all over driveway when a nice lady walks up and asks, “How much for the bikes?” I say, “They are not for sale. We’re just cleaning the garage.” After a strange look, she starts eyeing up the many other things laying on the driveway and starts making offers on stuff to Kris. Before we know it, we have a major garge sale going with about 10 people in the driveway at any given time for the next three hours. Even Becky and Emily join in on the fun bringing some unidentifiable ancient “stuff” from their rooms.
So all was not lost. Our garage cleaning project turned into a great day of full-fleged participation in a great community tradition and we realized that we don’t really need to prepare much for the next Scripps Ranch Garage Sale (whenever it is). Truly a piece of Americana. What a great country.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Berg is Broker/Owner of San Diego Castles Realty. He is an awesome agent and an all-around great guy. When he is not dazzling clients, he contributes the occasional article here. 
on 
on 
on 
on 
on 
on 
on 
{ 1 trackback }
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s always good to declutter.
You’d be surprised what you can get rid off in my neck of the woods for the right price Steve. http://www.reagentinct.com/2007/04/15/132/
-Athol
Athol, I think you give our SD junk too much credit. Your cat-claimed couch would have been the Piece de Resistance (with or without the little French thingies above the vowels) in my driveway. At times like these, I find myself amazed at the pathetic accumulation of stuff which, by all accounts, I welcomed into my home on purpose at one time. My favorite treasure is the stylish wooden sign which boldly carries the message “Simplify” (no one bought it) – The irony is not lost on us.
Aside from the obvious hilarity of people mistaking our cleaning exercise for a sale (if an item is in the driveway, it must be fair game!), and the equally funny outcome (we made about $200 bucks), I am still shaking my head at the junk we have amassed. And let me say, I am still not entirely convinced I actually purchased all of this stuff. Much of it, I fear, just appeared randomly over time, in the middle of the night. Maybe people have been sneaking their junk into my garage under the cover of darkness knowing that, at this point, I have no way of ever distinguishing between mine and theirs. Or, maybe, I just had two ornery items which, fearing extinction, spawned more trinkets in an heroic attempt to propogate the species.
Either way, we are (for the next five minutes, anyway) inspired and are planning our next adventure to Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before – under the beds in our daughters’ rooms. Speaking of which, where are our daughters? Last time I saw them, they were in the driveway.
I have a friend and they were packing to move into their next home. The wife says to the husband “wow I can’t believe how much crap we have after 20 years of marriage”. He says “Hon remember how the house burnt down and we lost everything?” “yeah”, “well this is just three years of crap then”.
I’m seriously resisting a joke involving the phrase “to boldly go where no man has gone before”, missing daughters and an outstanding take at a garage sale.
I usually like to bring my junk over when you’re out of town.
And I think your nesting tables did procreate.
Rebecca – I was wondering where those tables came from. The good news is they’re gone now. BTW, any idea where my power driver is??
Oh shoot! I do have your power drill and extension cord, I just forgot to bring it back with the other stuff. I will bring it to you asap! Thanks!