June 2, 2013

When did I wake up a weak old man?

I am getting old. I actually went to bed at 9:45 last night. There was still light lingering yellow and orange in the western sky! I was dozing in the recliner while trying to watch a recorded episode of "Modern Family" with the wife before giving it up and staggering to bed.

In my defense, it has been a long week. I came straight out of the Holiday and onto an airplane for the Carolinas.  I spent a couple of days figuratively boxing with my customers and did not get back home until the last flight into Indy on Wednesday night. I had a project due Thursday that took up a good portion of the day.  I then picked up some tables and helped the wife get ready for her garage sale on Saturday.

Friday was spent lifting and cleaning and hauling old furniture and bikes and stuff from storage. We did not get done until late Friday night setting up displays of our junk high quality merchandise. Early Saturday I was finishing up arranging the products as the potential customers waited outside in the chilly 6:30 drizzle. The sale was slated for 8:00, but the multitudes were waiting to hand over their hard-earned quarters and dollars well before the start time. I guess when it comes to rummage sales the early bird does get the worm.

The wife and daughter both made a sizable chunk of money and a bunch of my stuff is now living in other people's houses and garages today.*  We had the garage cleaned up, boxes hauled to Goodwill, and the cars back in their accustomed stalls by 3:00.

In all the week left me tired out and in bed by barely dark. But really -- 9:45 PM -- it is a shameful thing. The next thing you know I'll be hitting the 4:00 buffet circuit and demanding my quarter coffee at McDonald's.


* Have you ever heard of a garage sale customer demanding to try on a dress before she shells out $2.00? I never expected my office to double as a woman's changing room.


4 comments:

  1. I beat you by 15 minutes. It seems me and my grandson have the same sleep routine.
    James Old Guy

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  2. Stayed up to watch the Pacers thump the Heat. And then was in bed reading The Nutmeg of Consolation for about an hour before lights out at 0015.

    Young buck next door thought it would be fun to start his noisy-ass motorcycle and leave it idling for about 30 minutes around 11PM. Felt like going out and having a word with him, but couldn't be bothered to drag ass out of bed...

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  3. (I'm skipping the part about being or getting old)

    My wife has a garage sale almost every year. People routinely arrive an hour or more before the posted start time. In fact, while she was setting up for her most recent one last month, the day BEFORE the posted date, someone stopped in and she sold him something.

    On the wanting to try on before buying thing- If you aren't confident enough in knowing your dress size before spending a whopping $2(!)...please stay away from voting booths. You're an idiot.

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  4. Here in the southwest, we have two missions that will pick up the leftovers. No loading and hauling.

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