"Garage Sale Steals" and "I've Reached The Next Level in Life"

This weekend our neighborhood had a subdivision wide yard sale.

It was a veritable garage sale gold mine for the high intensity yard saler.

One out of every 3 or 4 houses had their driveway filled with furniture, clothes, knick-nacks and dusty exercise equipment.

I drove through the streets as I was on my way home from an errand.

I didn't bother stopping at most of the homes because I was only looking for one thing: couches.

The couches in our game room have been abused for several years now and are overdue for retirement.

I have put off buying new ones because whatever we get will continue to be abused, so I haven't wanted to spend much, and I have been hoping to find a couch with a hide-a-bed.

I almost didn't see this set because it was kind of hidden by bushes from the direction I was coming.

But when I did see it, I pulled over and went to inquire.

This set, which has been recently reupholstered, has a hide-a-bed in the larger couch, and was within my budget at $100!

J calls them the Cheese Cake Couches, because they reminded him of the rasberry swirl cheescake he ate today.

(I am going to have to get a new rug.)

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Now please understand that I try hard to not be material, and to not judge others or myself by possessions.

But, regardless of my efforts, I have felt at times in my life that I have reached an accomplishment because of something that I have aquired.

Like the first time I bought a car from a dealership (instead of my parents or a friend), the first time I rented a house instead of an apartment, when I bought a home instead of renting (I don't own that home anymore), when I got a job that offered benefits.

You know, things that showed that I had met some imagined status.

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Well, one of those things happened today.

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I have dreamed of this. I have even been in possession of one or two of these when it technically belonged to someone else.

As I was driving through a culdesac eyeing secondhand wares, I spotted a cardboard sign.

A light shone down on me from heaven and I heard the angels singing to share my joy.

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The sign said:

Free Piano

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It was a good thing there were no cars or children in front of me, because I was staring out the side window at the sign.

I quickly pulled over and went to ask.

Surely there had to be a catch.

Nothing is actually free, right?

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and all that.

I hardly dared to hope.

The only catch was that in order to get the piano I had to be the first one to drive to the house it was at and pick it up.

I visited with the couple giving the piano away and made arrangements to meet them at the other house to pick it up.

They wanted nothing for it, other than someone to take it away so they wouldn't have to move it.

So after calling a friend and his son to help, (and isn't that the most cliche favor in the world?), my piano arrived at my house this afternoon.

It is a New York Rudolf. It is very tall, probably 5 feet or close to it.

This piano has been loved and well used for many years.

If it had a voice it could speak to me of the children who first learned middle C on this piano.

It could tell of the tears that have leaked out because of the beautiful music that came from it.

It could tell stories of how it got paint splatters, how it's wood was chipped and scratched in places.

It could talk of the families that loved it as it shared its music with them.

Of the homes that were warmer, more comfortable, calmer, because it's notes floated through them. As I dusted it and played my first few songs on it I bonded with it. I felt it. I loved it.

It is old and has seen better days, but it is beautiful, and it has a soul.

Maybe that's a poor description, but this piano, old and abused as it is, carries power. It brought it's strength in to my home.

I am so excited to have it, and so blessed to have gotten it.

And somehow, I feel that I have crossed that imaginary line where yesterday I was a lesser person, because today I own a piano.

On a Church Billboard

Kindness is Love in work clothes.

Incredible Pictures of Waves

This guy from Oahu named Clark Little is a surfer who takes pictures of the waves he rides.

These pics are beautiful and incredible.

Doesn't it make you wish you could go surfing this Memorial Day?

Happy Memorial Day to all.

Puzzles and Riddles

I know ya'll love brain teasers, and it gives me something to blog when I don't have any other ideas. So here you go.

. 1. A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed 3 days and left on Friday. How is this possible? (I got this one from the tv show iCarly).

The man's horse is named Friday.

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2. Four men sat down to play,

They played all night ‘till break of day.

They played for gold and not for fun

With separate scores for everyone.

When they came to square accounts,

They all had made quite fair amounts.

Can you the paradox explain,

If no one lost, how could all gain?

Answer: The 4 men are musicians.

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3. There is a well known story of a famous German mathematician, who showed his brilliance even as a young boy.

While in elementary school, he was given the problem of finding the sum of all the whole numbers from one to 100.

For most of use it would be a long and difficult task of adding "1=2=3=4 etc." This young lad, however, solved the problem in his head in just a few moments.

What is the answer and how did he manage to do it in his head?

Answer: Imagine a measuring tape that measures 100 inches. Fold it in half at the 50" mark. The 1" is matched with the 99", which if you add together equals 100. 2+98=100, 3+97=100 and so on. By adding the matched numbers 1-49 with their counterparts, 99-51 you get 100 49 times, 4900. Add the 100 at the end and the single 50 in the middle. The answer is 5050.

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Good luck!

Thanks for playing!

Surprised by a scout.
The other night at cub scouts I got tricked by a scout that I was trying to trick.
Every week I ask for volunteers to give the opening prayer, pledge, and scout promise.
The boys are anxious to do these things because it earns them a clothespin, which might earn them a prize.
They always shoot their hands up as soon as I ask "Who wants to..."
This week was no different.
After prayer and pledge I needed a boy to give the promise, but I wanted to throw my scouts off a bit. So I said "Who wants to..."
All of their hands shot up, and I said "... Recite the alphabet backwards?" trying to catch them unaware.
All hands fell, except for B, whose hand stayed high and who continued to look at me just as excitedly.
Now let me add that B is 8 years old and autistic. He is a blast to have in scouts because you never know what he is going to say.
I said "B, do you want to recite the alphabet backwards?"
He nodded energetically, so I said "Okay, go ahead."
B then proceeded from Z to recite the entire alphabet backwards all the way to A.
He didn't seem to have it memorized, but looked like he was thinking through it as he went.
He didn't make a single mistake.
He earned a clothespin and a high five from all the other scouts.
It was awesome.

A Few Jokes

Readers Digest this month has a selection of jokes that were voted to be the best joke in America. . Here are a few of them: .

A ventriloquist is performing with his dummy on his lap.

He’s telling a dumb- blonde joke when a young platinum-haired beauty jumps to her feet.

"What gives you the right to stereotype blondes that way?" she demands. "What does hair color have to do with my worth as a human being?"

Flustered, the ventriloquist begins to stammer out an apology.

"You keep out of this!" she yells. "I’m talking to that little jerk on your knee!"

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A guy spots a sign outside a house that reads "Talking Dog for Sale."

Intrigued, he walks in.

"So what have you done with your life?" he asks the dog.

"I’ve led a very full life," says the dog. "I lived in the Alps rescuing avalanche victims. Then I served my country in Iraq. And now I spend my days reading to the residents of a retirement home."

The guy is flabbergasted. He asks the dog’s owner, "Why on earth would you want to get rid of an incredible dog like that?"

The owner says, "Because he’s a liar! He never did any of that!"

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A turtle is crossing the road when he’s mugged by two snails.

When the police show up, they ask him what happened.

The shaken turtle replies, "I don’t know. It all happened so fast."

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Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He’s not breathing and his eyes are glazed.

The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911.

"I think my friend is dead!" he yells. "What can I do?"

The operator says, "Calm down. First, let’s make sure he’s dead."

There’s a silence, then a shot.

Back on the phone, the guy says, "Okay, now what?"

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A priest, a minister, and a rabbi want to see who’s best at his job.

So they each go into the woods, find a bear, and attempt to convert it. Later they get together.

The priest begins: "When I found the bear, I read to him from the Catechism and sprinkled him with holy water. Next week is his First Communion."

"I found a bear by the stream," says the minister, "and preached God’s holy word. The bear was so mesmerized that he let me baptize him."

They both look down at the rabbi, who is lying on a gurney in a body cast. "Looking back," he says, "maybe I shouldn’t have started with the circumcision."

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You can >>>click here<<< to read the rest and vote for your favorite.

Got any other favorites?

I Believe

I posted these on my pic blog yesterday, but they are too good to not post here too.