In case you’re wondering, the creepy monkey from last week is still there. The sight of it is weirdly comforting now. Why? Because, if it wasn’t, I’d wonder if it had
moved on to terrorize another neighborhood. Though it could be hunting at night, and then returning right before dawn to lull me into a false sense of security. Yikes!
When Charlie finally noticed the creepy monkey (he didn’t notice before because he’s always looking down at the pavement), he thought its eyes were so creepy, they must be cameras. So whenever we pass that mailbox, we make a face at it.
Anyhoo, Charlie and me went to one of them outdoor flea markets over the weekend. Charlie’s always looking for tools and other gewgaws and I’m always looking for bargains. Plus, we had breakfast at a little hole in the wall with a ton a cars and trucks parked out front. That’s how you know the food is good. Bacon makes everything better, and it did.
Now, I’m big yard saler, you know that, but flea markets are not the same as a yard sale. Unless it’s one of them “permanent” yard sales (you know what I’m talking about). A yard sale is about people decluttering their homes and trying to make a little money. The folks are generally good natured and happy that their trash is now your treasure. Makes ‘em feel less guilty for buying the stuff in the first place!
But a flea market has “venders,” folks who have vans jam-packed with stuff. The minute an item sells, they put something else out, all day long. This is their job. For some, it’s is a side hustle. For others, it’s their life’s calling. A lot of ‘em are experts in a particular area, say lunch boxes, postcards, or WWII paraphernalia. They know what they have and you’re not going to easily talk ‘em down, not like at a yard sale. Still, you see some interesting stuff. And the people watching will shock and amaze you. I ended up getting this great sign for our kitchen. Makes me laugh every time I look at it.
Sometimes the outdoor flea market will be in the yard of one of them year ‘round, indoor flea markets. These are usually big places with sections for each vender and a main register where you cash out. In these types of places, the vender isn’t there. It’s mostly just shelves upon shelves of knick knacks, gazillions of ‘em. It’s in these indoor flea markets that you can happen upon some real creepy shit. That’s what happened on Saturday. Check out these photos.
Warning: once you see this stuff, you can’t unsee it.
When we’d had enough, Charlie and me headed back to Mahoosuc Mills, bellies full, me with my sign and Charlie with some kind of rusty old tool from the Paleozoic era. Got for a song, he says, though it’s hard to imagine someone paying anything for it. To each his own.
We drove by the creepy monkey on the way home. Without thinking, Charlie and me each made a face at it, just as natural as can be. I guess the creepy monkey is just part of our life now.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: Day at the Flea Market