Two activities are usually very popular during the summer months — yard sales and traveling. But did you know that there are many rules for the success of yard sales and information about certain trips that many people are not aware of ?

On Saturday, as I was traveling to an event in Gates, N.C., I began to pass signs posted on trees and poles advertising yard sales. When I reached Carolina Highway, I began to see the evidence of a few of these sales and wondered if those who were going to participate in them saw a report on NBC Channel 10, The Today Show, last week. It was a segment called “Everything Must Go — Success at Your Yard Sale.”

The show gave rules for success for the seller and the shopper that are listed as follows:

n Sellers should first check with his town to see if they need a permit to post ads on community billboards; then they should post ads in the newspaper;

clearly list the address of the sale, directions, and hours of the sale; highlight significant sale items; obtain small change of at least $100; have a calculator; and have a measuring tape and grocery shopping bags.

In addition, they should price items to sell, because in many cases, these items are not ones that they want to hold on to. Books, kitchen and kid’s items sell the most. Always have an extension cord for electrical items. It is important to keep items neatly placed. If they want to make the sale a family affair, have kids sell lemonade.

n Shoppers should go early; don’t take a lot of money, but at least $20, because it’s about bringing prices down; have a plan to take big items home; don’t buy everything; go with a plan not just to buy more junk for your house.

On a segment of the show on Monday called “Trips that you will never forget,” it was reported that there were 35 known trips of this type, but the show only mentioned four. However, only two were of interest to me. The first one because I wondered why Star Jones, the former talk show host on ABC Channel 13, The View, chose to go mountain climbing with her husband.

The report stated that a trip that includes climbing a mountain was said to effect you physically, emotionally, and mentally, because it will literally make you feel as if you are sitting on top of the world. Now that I know the reason why some people do it, does anyone know where I can find a comfortable chair shaped like a round globe of the earth so that I can do some mental climbing?

The second kind of trip of interest to me was finding my roots. I would be very interested in finding them, especially on my father’s side. If I contacted a tour operator business called European Focus, it would take me to the archives to find records of the Lee family. It can also find cities or countries where the Lee family originated and provide me with a personal escort. Mmmm, very interesting.

On another segment of the show called, “Live Like a Real Italian,” it was reported that movies portray the country as being a perfect, but very seldom a boring one. However, one Italian, Berpe Severgnini, wanted to bust through this image by writing a book called Labella Figuru, “A Field Guide to the Italian Mind.”

I selected a few statements from his book that he explained backs up his reasons for wanting to do so. They are as follows:

Italians never have a cappuccino after 10 a.m.; dinner time is family time; you can never be overdressed; never assume an emergency is a problem; and a red traffic light does not mean stop, but think about the situation or contemplate it.

A music mission tour team from my church, East End Baptist, has visited Italy for two consecutive years. Recently, I attended a celebration dinner with them; and listening to their statements, I am sure that the cities they toured were not boring at all. Read about their experiences in a future publication.

Wall is a former News-Herald reporter and regular contributor to the Town Square page.