CHAIRS & CASHMERE & CUTE LITTLE DOGS

One of the first things I do each morning is check my Google Alert for anything about my blog. (Do you know about Google Alerts? You put in the topic you want to keep an eye on and it sends you daily updates to your email or your feed reader. Check it out here.) I usually find I've been included in some nice blogger’s list of recommended blogs (thanks, you guys!) or that something I wrote about was aggregated with other websites on a particular topic. Happened last week with the chandelier. But sometimes I get extra lucky and it's someone saying something nice about me—woo hoo! I was delighted this morning to see that Thrifting Brisbane recommended my blog. Yes, that’s Brisbane as in Australia. I feel so international! She especially likes the pet pics, so I was happy today to meet some pets.

These two were waiting for their person to come out of the bagel place. I noticed she was only buying one bagel though.
At the first sale, the first thing I saw was Pepper.

Isn’t she adorable? (Her owner is pretty darned cute too.) She was rescued about three years ago, they think she had been badly treated because she has some anxiety issues. I told her she got lucky this time.

Next came an Italian greyhound.

Oooohhh, I said, he’s SO cute. What’s his name?

“Rage,” the lady told me. Ummm, Rage? “My son named him.” She managed not to roll her eyes, but her son looked sheepish. He was a pretty entertaining little guy (the dog I mean; the son was not little)—quite intent on playing with his favorite toy, a smashed up plastic water bottle. Not an expensive dog to entertain.

I didn’t get a name for this kitty guy. He was hunkered down in the yard by the realtor’s sign with the ‘sale pending’ notice, watching the goings-on over on the driveway. He struck me as fairly old; hope he won’t mind moving too much.
Had a conversation with a nice young man who had his own small sale set up near a larger one. Turns out he’s from Ireland and is heading back home soon after spending the summer here on a work visa. His merchandise included a boogie board. “No use for it at home,” he said. “No waves.” He told me he’s just finished his training to be a physical therapist. If I ever get hurt, this is the therapist I want—awfully cute and with that wonderful Irish accent. I'd get well in no time.

I also had a conversation about eggplant. I've certainly bought and eaten and grown eggplant, but never conversed about it. A family were selling some homegrown veggies at their yard sale, and I mentioned that eggplant are kind of fun to grow because the plants are so pretty. They seemed convinced that eggplant is related to zucchini.

Guess they are both vegetables. Close enough.

I spent $10.25 today. You will see that it was worth it.

Found one more prize for our staff reading program. Seemed appropriate for the Make a Splash theme.
Our annual potluck breakfast and prize giving is Tuesday. We spend about an hour eating (and eating and eating) and talking about our favorite reads and giggling over the prizes I've picked up over the summer. I also scored this pack of napkins for the event.
I couldn’t resist this little hummingbird finger puppet. He’ll be great for someone’s storytimes.
His beak has had a bit too much love, but some red permanent marker helped.

I was NOT going to buy another table cloth. Even though it was nice heavy cotton and in great shape. As I laid it down the lady said it was a quarter.
I picked it back up again.

I'm weak. What can I say.

Found a couple of cashmere sweaters.

My mother loves to embroider, and my sister can't find enough transfer patterns at the sales her area to keep her supplied. So I'm sending this book to them. Some of the pages have been used but there are hundreds left. That ought to hold them for a while!


Found some inexpensive entertainment too.

I had to promise I will dance along with the penguins.

But here’s what I'm most excited about—another piece of Midcentury Modern furniture!
I had no idea of its provenance when I saw it on the driveway, at the first sale of the day, where Pepper the cute dog lives. I just thought it looked Midcentury. Then I sat in it and my butt said this is about the most comfortable place you’ve ever put me. Buy this thing.

So we did a little negotiating (i.e. I asked if they’d take five for it instead of the ten bucks they had marked, and they said yes with no hesitation) and I carted it off to the back seat of the convertible. When I got home I did some investigating (lordy, I love the Internet) and learned that I now own a Siesta Chair designed by Ingmar Relling in 1965. This is the real deal, not an Ikea knockoff. I found a couple for sale online, for $200 and $600, so I'd say I did pretty good. And they still make them, though in birch rather than this great rosewood. The new ones will set you back a couple thousand. Ouch!

Some follow-ups from last week. I just put up the white gauze to shade my patio, and it's exactly what I wanted. I love the pattern of shadows from the lathe pergola and the way it billows in the breeze.
And remember the chandelier? The one Diane almost passed up because her husband might not want to hang it up? The one he put up THE NEXT DAY?
Turned out fine. I knew a fifty cent chandelier was a good idea.