Saling Through Life

This morning as I fixed my hair, Zoe was singing a neverending rendition of "Happy Birthday to Zoe" while swimming in the bathtub in her new lime-green-with-fluorescent-flowers-swimsuit, big fluorescent pink bow included. Children's swimwear is apparently in that same category as toenail polish: you can use any garish color and psychedelic pattern and get away with it. The suit looks like it was designed by a two-year-old.

Actually, seeing as how it is being worn by a two-year-old, maybe there is some underlying psychology of fashion research behind it.

Anyway, I bought this beloved swimsuit for $1 at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the first $1 swimsuit that I bought yesterday...the first one was SO beloved by Zoe that she insisted on holding it, stroking it, and carrying it everywhere we went.

The many neighborhoods around here each take turns having yard sale weekend, which makes it convenient for us shoppers. I simply drive up and down the streets of the subdivision, and chances are good that every third house has a table of stuff for sale. By stuff I mean girl's clothes, toys, and junk. No one sells boy's clothes because they couldn't get the mud and grass off, nor repair the holes in the knees.

The boys did have plenty of excitement shopping, though. Pokemon cards go for 10 cents each, 5 if you're lucky. I spent at least an hour getting to know our neighbor Sarah while they shuffled through the stacks and picked out just the right cards. They also shouted out to each other in fluent poke-tongue, "This one can take 100 hit points! Give me that Dark Charmander! I'll trade you for any of your water-type!"

So, Zoe made it for at least two more stops with the swimsuit-of-delight clutched in her hand, but eventually I notices that it was conspicuously missing, replaced by a zip-lock bag of dollhouse people. I keep wondering if the person who found her newly-purchased suit, neglected on some sidewalk, resold it. It was worth at least a buck.

And it was not too long before I found the lime-green replacement to purchase. After all, everyone sells girl's clothes.