Week is full of golf carts and garage sales

Are you ready for the invasion of the golf carts? I am never ready, but they blossom this time of year in response to the town-wide garage sales. The garage sales are a perfect companion to the annual event I refer to as the antique tractor and engine show. The proper name is actually Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show but I’ve never heard anyone call it that.

During this week some people in the town leave, not willing to subject themselves to the increased traffic and the golf carts that turn, stop at random and sometimes try to run over people. The remaining inhabitants arrange the detritus of their lives on their driveways and lawns in the hope of making a few dollars or at least getting rid of items no longer needed. That most of it will still be there after the crowds leave is irrelevant.

I asked my brother, David, what the appeal was of walking through miles of other people’s stuff. He explained that the fixer-upper in every man (and many women) was always looking for a new project. He said that men have an innate need to fix things and the tractor and engine show offers unlimited opportunities.

This is often an excuse to abandon the many projects already languishing in an unfinished state. He said that the mantra for this was, “I’ll buy your old junk if you’ll buy mine.” When I asked if I could use that line, he said he would have his people call my people. Since neither of us has people, I decided to use his words anyway. If he has a problem with that, his people can call my people.

As someone who has many unfinished projects of her own, I can empathize with his point of view. There is nothing quite like a new project to inject a burst of energy and to provide an excuse to abandon one that has reached an impasse. Beginnings are far more exciting than middles. Finishing something is satisfying, but beginnings offer the promise of endless possibilities.

My other brother, Michael, also looks for new projects but the show has a wider appeal for him. In addition to new projects, he searches for parts to complete old projects. In his eyes, a battered fender that will fit an old tractor he once hauled home is a rare and precious find. He enjoys the small engine displays and the novelty of finding unexpected items such as cars to add to his model train collection. He is always on the lookout for a good deal and it doesn’t matter if he has a use for something at the moment. If the price is right, he is likely to buy it anyway.

Michael mentioned that fathers often like to share with their children how things used to be done. The history and subsequent stories of the objects displayed serve to connect generations. I confess to doing that same thing on the rare occasions I have joined Michael and David at the fairgrounds. More than once I have said, “We used to have one of these!” They have said the same thing to me. Then we spend the next few minutes telling tales of the object in question. There are some stories we have told so often that both guys have vivid memories of things that happened before they were born.

 The other thing Michael mentioned was the food vendors. He is looking forward to a good tenderloin sandwich. He described the perfect tenderloin in terms that would make a food critic proud.

Whether you endure this week or enjoy it, it will be over soon. I hope you find a new project, a good deal, something you didn’t know you needed or simply a good sandwich. If you drive, watch out for golf carts. If you are on foot, watch out for golf carts. They’re everywhere.