I Heart Yard Sales

My kids and I tumbled into the car Saturday morning and went for a hike, even though it was kinda chilly.  We hiked to this:

Around here, this is iconic.  Y Mountain.  It was originally supposed to have three letters up there B and Y and U, but it took so much effort to get the Y there, that they never finished the other two.  There's a switchbacked trail with 11 turns (there are signs announcing which turn you're on and how long to the next one).  I think it's sissified.  They may as well pave the thing and set golf carts up it.  But my personal feelings aside, it is a good gage to see how fit you are for other summertime hikes.  If you don't pause at every turn you can work up a good sweat, but with two of my three kids wanting to take breathers, I bowed to the pressure and we stopped regularly.  (As a side note: my middle child was as annoyed by the pauses as I was.  I don't like interruptions when I have a goal in my sights.  I think he just wanted to get the hike over with.)

We got to the Y in less time than I thought we would.  My kids are troopers.  I attribute it to the hill we had to climb to get to our house in Wellington. (In fact, hiking to the Y was much like that, but longer.)

**Disclaimer**
When I say this is a sissified hike, what I mean is that it's overused.  It's too civilized.  Not that it's only for sissies.  It's a pretty good incline.  Some amazingly lunged people even run up and down the trail, which I think would count as superhuman.  But as a hike, in nature, it leaves something to be desired.

My favorite part of the day though, was after the hike.

All sweaty and grimy, we drove back home, and on the way passed a humoungo yard sale.  Some sort of fundraiser for a high school baseball team, but I don't really care about that.  What I care about, was that I got to fill bags and bags full of nice clothes and I paid less for the whole thing than I would have for ONE item of clothing in a store.

I freely and fully admit my tightfistedness.  I am a cheapskate.

But how can I deny myself when it makes me so, so happy?

Bless you yard salers.  And bless this delightful season.