It seems wierd to be so, but I have been without my laptop for the better part of a week. Today I am hopping on someone else’s computer just to check in. My Lenovo IdeaPad busted a widget about a month ago and I finally sent it off for some warranty repair in Texas. The holiday hasn’t helped matters. As a result, I haven’t been able to access the web or this blog. It has been different, to say the least.

I haven’t been completely without entertainment. From Friday through Sunday, I was lost in Yard Sale Land. Have you ever been involved in a yard sale? I think everyone should at some point in their lives. It is among the hardest manual labor you can imagine. But, the upside is vast. You streamline your home and rid yourself of excess excess. You may even make a little dough. But the real and often underappreciated value is the human drama unfolding over the course of the sale. From the early morning “pickers” lining up at the police caution tape that I had tied across the driveway, to the haggling over the $2 item, to the sheer joy on a buyer’s face to find exactly what they were looking for at a fraction of the retail value, to the returning college students’ pleasure at finding just what was needed to complete that dorm room decor – most every moment was pure, unadulterated fun. I had fun, the four other people who donated stuff to the pile had fun, and the buyers had fun. Even the neighbors got involved and had some fun! 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  Although I was frightfully busy, it was not cerebral work.  I took every chance I could to lay back on the grass amongst my discards and enjoy the sun and blue sky on my face. At the end, we made a pile of stuff and placed a “free” sign on it – it was all gone within a day. I have some nicer things that I am saving to donate. A portion of our yard sale proceeds are going to a charity that my mother operates with some of her friends that benefits AIDS orphans in South Africa.

Everyone was a winner. And I had a welcome break from the digital world. I am still trying to clean out the analog dust from underneath my fingernails.

Back soon with more law, writing, and technology!