CANDLES AND SCOOTERS AND LANTERNS AND SUCH

This was just one of the best garaging days! Neighborhood sale in a very nice area. Found some fun stuff, didn’t spend too much, got some good stories, petted some fine dogs. The best!

At the bagel store, the sesame bagels (my favorite, and of course you can never have too many sesame seeds scattered about your car, right?) were still warm from the oven, so I didn’t even have it toasted. Just schmear on that cream cheese baby. I gave the lady a twenty and asked if she could spare some ones in change. “Are you going to yard sales?” she asked, looking eager. “You bet,” I said, “and there are a lot of them out there today.” She gave me all ones, and I said the first one I spent would be in her honor. Which would be for…let me think…oh yes—a vintage scale. This one is for you, Cathy G.! Hope you’re still wanting one!

Isn’t this a fabbo car?
I think he said it's a 1927 Model A. The guy who owns it was on his knees in his front yard, cleaning the blades of a ceiling fan. Another old guy walked up to see what was for sale and commented with a twinkle in his eye, “That’s a nice sight, a guy on his knees.” “Yes, and he’s cleaning something, how cool is that?” I said. We all chuckled.

I saw the same old guy across the street a few minutes later at another sale and noticed he had a couple of bags with stuff in them. I asked if he’d found some good stuff. He beamed. “Oh, yes, my favorite thing.” He opened a bag to show me—old candles, partly used. “I melt them down to make new candles,” he said. Which I have to admit I'd never thought of doing, I just use them as is. “So you have, like, candle molds and everything?” I asked him. His smile got bigger; I could tell how much he enjoys his creativity. “You know what I use for molds? Pringles cans. Pour in the wax and just peel off the can when it’s cooled.” I may have to try that sometime—if anyone ever gives me some Pringles. I've never bought a can of them in my life.

I talked to two children on those little scooter thingies, Razors. The little boy was not quite three, and just learning to ride. As soon as I walked up he called, “Watch me! Watch me!” Of course I obliged, and off he went. In a moment his mom called him to head back and he did, balancing beautifully. We commented on how he was watching where he’s going and not looking at his feet. The kid will probably be swooping around on a skateboard before much longer.

Up the street I met a young girl, about six or seven, who immediately informed me that I couldn’t buy her scooter. I noticed it had a $3 price tag on the handlebars. “Oh, it's not mine,” she said. “It's for sale but I'm not going to give it up. I'm using it to cruise, that’s my plan.” By now I was cracking up. She was so articulate and so completely self possessed. I suspect she still has that scooter.

Met several nice dogs today. This lovely lady is a Viszla named Gita. She may have the softest ears on the planet.

Handsome Thor has just had his summer haircut.

I bought some fun socks from his owner, who told me she is a member of a Funky Sock Society—a group of women who do a sock exchange every month. What fun. Maybe we need to start something like that where I work. Funky socks can really brighten your day.

Doggie haircuts seemed to be the order of the day—Sierra the Springer had just had her summer do as well.

I have to admit I was especially taken with this sweetie pie, Gwennie.


Short for Gwendolyn. Short is the operative word here. My guess is she’s a corgi mix, maybe with Sheltie, though she has a blue tongue so could be some chow back there somewhere. She was a pound puppy, so who knows. “We got her right after 9-11,” her owner told me. “We were supposed to take a trip and it got cancelled, so we said okay, time to get a dog.”

When I left I petted Gwennie once more, and this time she fell over so I could admire her tummy and give it a good rub.

As I walked into one garage, the sale of this item was being concluded. I had to get a picture.
They were talking about putting it on their patio. Interesting patio!

A couple of items I didn’t buy…I thought this box was funny.
I particularly like the phrase “Space-saving Breakthrough!”

This hand carved cane with a dog’s head handle was too spendy for me.
The daughter of the house liked it too, and I hope she took it home.

At one sale there were several embroidery kits for sale, and the lady told me she was giving them up because of her eyes. I asked if she had embroidered the little framed picture I'd seen on another table. She said no, it was done by her mother in law, and she got a little misty eyed as she told me about her. We fetched the picture and looked at it, a wonderful little nighttime snow scene exquisitely embroidered on black satin.
Apologies that my photo isn’t better. I should have taken the time for a macro photo. The snow on the trees is composed entirely of tiny French knots, probably done with a single thread. The stars are single stitches. I was tempted to buy it. But the lady having the sale said she was a little sorry she’d put it out. Someone else conversing with us suggested having it made into a pillow top. I looked more closely at the framing. The mat was a piece of green paper, probably construction paper. I said that if she reframed it with a real mat and another frame it would be a wonderful thing to hang. She laughed and said her MIL had been a teacher, so it probably was a piece of construction paper. The embroidery dates from the Thirties, when her husband’s parents lived in the California Sierras, where he was a forest ranger. Once a month they would drive down the mountain and go to Fresno for supplies. She told me, “She had to drive herself to Fresno when my husband was born. Her sister was supposed to take her, but she panicked and couldn’t drive. The road’s still there. It's the worst almost-two-lane road I've ever been on in my life.” By the time we finished talking, the little snowy night picture was taken back into the house. I'm awfully glad she’s keeping it.

I spent $11.75 this morning. Found a nearly full roll of quilt batting for a project I've got in mind, but you don’t need a picture of that! White, fluffy, rolled up, in plastic bag. I'm sure your imagination can also picture a three inch high stack of index cards in several colors, which my husband likes for taking phone messages. You already know about the scale. These are my Funky Sock Society socks.
This little art project was only a quarter, akin to a paint by number, and I loved doing those as a child.
I was charged with finding a shirt or two for my husband to wear when he works in the yard. So I picked up this one—and it may be too good for yard work! He’s a redhead so green looks really good on him.
My supply of dish towels is pretty good these days, but I'm a sucker for stuff with wheat. 100% cotton, from France, even has a signature.

At the same sale I found these wind chimes. I actually bought them for the dangly part, not the chimes. I have some very nice chimes, but the windcatcher is long gone, so I'm hoping this will work.

I found some puppets to give to my children’s librarians—a set of community helpers, and a Wild Thing…

…and a book of flying dinos to keep some kids occupied after school someday…

…and big stack of wonderful handmade bookmarks.

This black pot will hold cooking utensils. I like the contrast with our colorful spatulas.

And a score for the yard—four brand new candle lanterns. Aren’t the little round ones adorable? Like old fashioned alarm clocks.
The best score of the week actually came several days ago. A house down the street has gone up for sale, and one day several pots were put out front with a free sign. So we strolled down to take a look, and brought these babies home. I added the geraniums!
A couple of days later we were leaving to go to a movie, and sitting out front with another free sign was this beauty. I love its weathered wood.

Let’s take it, we said, and picked it up to carry it home. Which is when we discovered that not only are the arms made of cast iron, so are all those slats in the back. The darned thing weighs a ton. But we huffed and puffed it down the street to our house, where it looks quite nice on the patio in the corner. We’ve been sitting on it every evening, and enjoying our view.