The Time I Cried Over a Dollhouse

 

I'm a little embarrassed to tell this story, so maybe I should clarify and say that it was TWO dollhouses, not just one. 

 

But anyway, here's how it goes.  I check on EstateSales.net every week for sales that have vintage dollhouses.  Not just any vintage dollhouses, but Keystone and Rich, specifically, which are the ones that are my favorites.  And, let me tell you, they are very few and far between around here.  So few and far between, in fact, that I've never actually found one close enough to buy. 

 

So imagine my excitement when I saw the above photo for a sale about two hours away!  But I hemmed and hawed about whether I should go- it's a little hard to tell the condition of the houses from this photo, and what if I drove all the way only to find that they are priced crazy high?  Not to mention the gas money to get there.  I should also mention that driving 2 hours (and back 2 hours as well) is kind of a major deal for me.  I have a pinched nerve in my neck that makes driving pretty uncomfortable and even painful at times, but I do it when it's necessary. 

 

So I found a way to email the estate sale company and sent an email asking nicely for the prices, since I was so far away.  I heard nothing before the first day of the sale, so I grudgingly decided it was against my better judgement to take the risk.  But that evening, I got an email telling me they were only $20 (plus the next day was 1/2 price day!), and they were still available! 

 

It was a sign- I had to go!  The sale opened at 8:00 AM the next day, so I decided not to risk it, and to try and get there right at 8:00.  I got up at 5:30, and left by 6:00.  I was making good time, on schedule to get there on time, but then I started hitting the toll roads.  I had to stop three times and hunt for correct change.  Aargh!  I hadn't anticipated that delay, but I still thought I was doing okay to get there pretty close to 8:00.  But then the MapQuest directions I'd printed got confusing, and I had to backtrack, then stop and figure out how to work my car's GPS in order to get back on track.

 

But still, by then it was only like 8:15, and I figured, "It's not like anybody else would show up right at 8:00 to buy these dollhouses- after all, they were there all day yesterday...".  Well, I'm sure you've got a good feeling about how this story ends up.  I pulled up in front of the house at 8:20, and watched two men as they were loading the two dollhouses into the trunk of their car- literally. 

 

I was just stunned.  Are you serious?  I just drove 2 hours and wasted $60 in gas, only to miss them by 1 minute??  I couldn't help it.  I sat in my car and cried for about 3 minutes.  Not really because I wanted the houses so bad (and not that I needed them for sure- I need another dollhouse like I need a hole in the head)- but just because it had been such a waste, and I hadn't even had the chance to make the decision myself, you know?  I started to drive away, because I really didn't know if I could even handle going into the sale, knowing what had just happened, but then I turned around, knowing that was kind of stupid.  I went in a poked around, and found a couple little things, but certainly not anything that made the trip worthwhile.

 

Writing it all down here makes it sound pretty silly, but I figured that if anyone could understand my pain, it would be you guys.  So there's my story.  It's embarrassing, but it sadly is true.  I hope maybe I brought some amusement to your day by retelling it though!