It’s August on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, and the hand-painted cardboard signs are out. From Hubbards to Shelburne, every roadside table and barn-turned-boutique is a treasure trove of mysterious objects, homemade preserves, and conversation-starting weirdness. So, what’s your best find – and what does it say about you?
You only have enough change in your car cup holder for one of these items, which do you take home?
A very ugly mug that says “World’s Greatest Dad”
(regardless of if you are a father).
A sweet framed portrait of someone else’s grandma. Even the seller isn’t
sure who she is.
A dusty collection of babushka dolls. You don’t know why. You must have
it.
A stuffed poodle figurine with fluffy white fur. The seller says it’s an
antique from the 1950’s.
You find a shoebox labeled ‘Socks (Mostly Clean?) – $0.25 Each.’ What’s your move?
Sort through them looking for a matching pair with a story.
Buy the weirdest one and wear it as a puppet like you did when you were a
kid.
Take the whole box.
Find a few that seem in decent shape. No holes = good deal.
You unearth a framed print of a sad clown mounted on velvet. What’s your reaction?
‘Someone else might want that.’ You leave it.
‘This would look good in my guest bathroom.’ You cradle it gently.
‘This is ugly. I love it!’ You haggle for it like your life depends on it.
Better not to touch it, too many scary movies start out this way.
A dusty bin of cassette tapes is labeled “Mostly Hank Snow”. You…
Ask if they have any Anne Murray instead.
Not your thing, but you text your Gramma a photo. She looooves country.
Take a few for the novelty, even though you don’t own a tape deck.
Buy the whole bin, declare it “a vibe”, and drive off blasting Hank
classics through your Bluetooth adapter.
A kid is selling a bucket of seashells for ‘whatever you think is fair’. You…
Pick out a few of the most colourful ones and leave a toonie.
Ask if they found any with holes in them for necklaces.
Dump the bucket on the lawn and start sorting them by genus.
Whisper ‘the ocean provides’ and give the kid a tenner without taking
anything.
You spot a table labeled “FREE STUFF – PLEASE TAKE!” What’s the first thing you grab?
An incandescent light bulb with green masking tape stuck to it – “For
Dave” written in Sharpie.
A ring that is either an heirloom or came out of a cereal box – hard to
say which.
A tangled bundle of extension cords and old VCR remotes. Might be useful.
Probably isn’t.
A paint colour sample. These are also free at the hardware store, but
those aren’t sun bleached!
