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Yard Sale
(by R.P.Edwards)
One man's junk
Another man's jewel
One man's "Yuck!"
Another man's "Cool!"...
Moderate temperatures, sun-soaked weekends, Summer fading fast and Autumn in the wings; yes, it's time for the annual Yard Sale, or as some call it, "Garage sale."
A few days back I was leisurely tooling (an archaic term for driving) along and I came across, within a few blocks travel, a plethora of the front yard gatherings where unwanted "stuff" (be it nice or no) was being offered for pennies (remember them?) so that said items would simply be removed from storage and/or sight. Deals can be had. Two of my minor purchases were a nice battery-powered wall clock and a delightful oil cruet (carafe). Each cost two-bits (25 cents). Worth so much more before, but now woefully unwanted and valued as such.
The two photos above were taken by yours truly in July of 2018. I was allowed attendance because a vacation day was employed so that I could have two troublesome teeth (what was left of them) extracted. After the pulling I paused a bit and then spat out the bloody gauze and went to the rally. My placement was not ideal. Pictured is the then (and current) CEO of US Steel (albeit now owned by Nippon Steel of Japan), David Burritt, and President Donald J. Trump. The tariffs on foreign steel had helped immensely (how soon we forget) and the venerable steel mill in Granite City, Illinois, sprang to life after a lengthy slumber. Joy ensued as workers were called back to an occupation that alleviated the gnawing pain of lack and the community also sighed as investment benefited all in the region.
Now fast forward to 2025. President Trump has implemented steel tariffs once again and the industry will benefit (now, as then). However, for some reason the little mill that could; the ONLY steel mill that Trump 45 chose to visit in his first term, has been deemed obsolete and unwanted. And oh, there are, of course, word salad explanations as to why the facility must die, but methinks the real reason is that we're not a good fit. We don't go with the drapes or the new Armoire and the once valuable is deemed so much less.
And that's fine. We're a capitalistic economy, after all. But might I make a suggestion? Rather than the slow, excruciating demise of the place and people you no longer want or need; why not drag the "ugly" out to the driveway. Put up a sign: Yard Sale. Make an offer.
For surely there may be a buyer that sees beauty where you see none. And, since "vindictive" is not your motivation, perhaps someone else might want to invest and produce a little something that certainly won't threaten the international giant but will be a blessing to a thankful few.
Something to think about.
The poem continues...
...The difference is vision
The seeing unseen
From stagnant to stellar
From asleep to a dream.
Here's a little music that might touch the hidden place
