“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind”…

That lyric was part of a song in the ‘70s by The Five Man Electrical Band. Great tune but this is not about the band, the song, or the ‘70s. It is however, about signs. Yard sale and garage sale signs to be specific. Garage sale signs are as varied as we Americans are. Some done with a lot of care and planning with nice big letters on sturdy material while some are done on copy paper with a crayon and the edges roll up like a scroll and make the sign unreadable. I have no problem with yard sale signs, they are part of weekends in America. The problem is the signs that stay up after the sale is over…long after the sale is over. They just hang there limp and look trashy. “Hanging litter” is what it becomes on our nice city streets or rural roads. And if the sign is still readable after a week, consider the folks that venture down the street looking for the sale that is no longer there.

I’m certainly aware that there are much more important issues going on in our nation right now, joblessness, the economy, the current administration, the upcoming elections and so on. The yard sale sign issue pales in comparison but it is still bothersome. Am I being picky?

So go and have a yard or garage sale. I hope you sell a lot of stuff and make a lot of money; please just take the signs down!

Rich Swet

Enumclaw