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Gathering in the Fall

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Toward the end of the day, we spotted a yard sale with abundant offerings. There had been many, all day, but our focus had been the farm stands. This one, however, seemed tempting. Clothing on hangers, tables laden with what seemed like the contents of an entire kitchen, furniture, sports equipment, books. We caused a bit of a traffic hazard by stopping short. It wasn't what we had hoped and the prices were high. Mimi found a basket for $5, bargained it to $3, still too much, but she was happy with it when we got back into the car. Onward to Sunderland where, again, a yard sale in front of one of those huge old dowagers that line the main street caught our attention. We stopped again. It was 4 p.m., close to closing time. Some of the tables were covered with plastic, they were already packing it in. Nothing much to shout about. We sauntered back toward the car. On the curb, Mimi noticed a pile marked "free." We started to pick through the offerings. I found what appeared to be a big white tablecloth, big enough for my dining room table. I tucked it under my arm. Mimi discovered a poster and a frame. A bag full of pine cones. My eyes focused on a bread box -- sapphire blue, a good match for my kitchen. It was in perfect condition, just a little dust. I have never had a bread box before. It struck me as a sensible idea. I picked that up as well. Was it really free? We re-checked the sign. It seemed to be so. We hustled back across the road to our car, feeling a bit like fugitives, packed our treasures in around the pumpkins and cabbages and headed back toward Amherst.

When I got home, I opened up the tablecloth, expecting to find a hole or a large red wine stain. Nothing. It was perfect. And it fit my table. I have looked for a tablecloth big enough for that table for years. I pulled things out of the pantry and put the bread box in and then fit everything back in around it. It looked like it was meant to be there. Mimi reported that she had already arranged the pine cones in the basket, a fall centerpiece for their new table. What's next? There's still a lot of poking around to do before snow.