Overgrown in Morton Grove

From the street it appeared to be an ordinary home. But on the inside, something had taken root.

This little breakfast nook was just off the kitchen. It must have been nice to sit down at that writing desk in the morning and catch up on your correspondence. If you could manage to keep those flowering vines from crawling out of the walls and curtains and strangling you.

The bathroom had gone all jungle as well. There's nothing wrong with this place a good machete and a native guide couldn't handle.

This was sitting on top of the vanity. At only twenty-five cents it's a beauty bargain, but you'll have to supply your own spray top.

Whatever they're hoping to keep out -- or in -- with that tape, it's probably not going to hold.

That flower must be an invasive species, because it's spread to the bedspread and the drapes.

Maybe this is the secret behind all those incredible blooms.

The people running the sales mentioned there were books and records in the garage, so I headed out there.

There were all kinds of records. And not just any kind of records. My kind of records. The sign says, “Most records $1. (Sinatra $3.)” Good thing I wasn’t interested in the Sinatra, because I don’t pay those kinds of prices. But there was also a lot of Edyie Gorme and Anita Bryant. A nice stack of Jack Jones. And a bunch of Burt Bacharachs. You know, the classy stuff.

Two things bear mentioning.

When I was a kid, I saw this movie countless times and played the grooves off this record. This not only tells you something about my age, but also the type of man I would grow to become. Not that a snarky blog about estate sales wasn’t saying enough about that already. However, this was not the last time today that I'd catch Streisand and Kristofferson in a steamy embrace.

This helpful web page says Vince Cardell is Liberace's best-known protege, and even played on stage with the master. His career continues today. Judging from this album cover -- and the stories I've heard about the irrepressible "Lee" -- I'm sure they enjoyed a very warm working relationship.

I think they both would have approved of the wallpaper.