Purge, in two phases

We have actually done a pretty good job these past few weeks figuring out what the move and what to leave behind. And we have done some targeted handing-down of our used items to friends but still had a fair amount of stuff to pass on to a new home.

Step 1 was a sidewalk sale this morning while Emerson ran up and down the block. It was fascinating to see what people wanted and what they didn't. Not what I would have expected. A woman about my size was very excited to take some of my old suits but no one wanted to pay even a few bucks for our awesome aloe plant named Mr. T.

A neighbor brought her dog by along with a small ball to throw for the dog to catch. Emerson was so delighted by this that he was laughing, snorting and stomping his feet almost uncontrollably.

Step 2 was the "free" sale. The things we still wanted to try to sell we brought inside and the rest we left out front with a big sign that said "Free." We also posted it on craigslist. Then we sat back and watched the parade of people come by and pick through our stuff. A man in a top hat really liked a silver blouse of mine but it didn't quite fit him; a Hispanic woman was very pleased to take it later on.

We had the windows open so even when we weren't watching we could hear the commentary, often accompanied with lots of laughter. "What's so funny?" I sometimes wanted to ask. But I didn't want to scare away the people who were making use of our apparently hilarious stuff.

It was interesting to see the dregs of the free stuff: what did no one want even for free? A trashy crime novel, two self-help books and some maps for cities that are not San Francisco. Also a small bottle of organic baby shampoo.