Cats and Tarts and Cupcakes with Feet

One of the local realtors had a big sign on my friend Marcia’s tract this week about a neighborhood yard sale, so I headed over there this morning. When I got to Marcia’s house to pick her up for some garaging fun, I told her I hadn’t seen any sales on my way in. We drove back to the big sign and this time we read the fine print (i.e. the line just below “Neighborhood Garage Sale”) where it said “May 14.”

Oops.

Fortunately I had checked Craigslist earlier just in case there were other neighborhood sales, so we had an alternative destination a few miles away. I always think it’s funny how different tracts seems to have distinct personalities. This one’s was friendly! The first sale we stopped at, they offered to fill up our car for us with their stuff. We thanked them kindly for their offer and explained that one has to be disciplined when one goes to sales every week. (No one wants to end up on that hoarders show.) But I didn’t get away from their driveway without parting with a quarter.

 

Of course, if you were going to use these for a party you’d have to buy several sets. I’ll just have to have a very small party!

Across the street we met a sweet dog named Maggie. She was too excited to hold still for a good picture.

Later we saw one of the young women from Maggie’s house out cruising the sales on her bike. In the bike basket I spotted a book. A 1957 decorating book. Which I talked her into reselling to me!

When I told her about my 1957 house in Oregon she said I needed the book more than she does. Hope she’s not suffering from any seller’s remorse. I can’t wait to look through this one!

On another street we stopped at a sale where a handsome tortoiseshell kitty held court. This is Cocoapuff.

When we expressed our admiration, her owner went inside and brought out another of her cats. She is big into rescuing kitties and giving them a wonderful home.

How’s that for a mug? Can’t remember his name. He used to live down the street, where he was neglected and left to live outdoors with battle scars and uncombed fur. One day her daughter found him with a wound on his head and brought him home, where they nursed him back to health. She told her daughter that if the neighbors put out flyers they’d have to give him back…but they didn’t. It was six months later before the neighbor’s kids went looking for this cat, and by then there was no chance he was going back. And that was five years ago.

She laughed and told us she was known as the crazy cat lady, so that’s how she dressed for Halloween last year, in a crazy cat lady costume she put together complete with Beanie Baby cats sewn to her dress. “Pets and laughter,” she said, “that’s what you need in life.”

I spent a total of five bucks through the morning, and half of it was for my children’s librarians. I tried to resist, but just had to get these puppets, a Folkmanis lamb

and a set of Manhattan Toy royalty – princess, prince, knight and dragon. Hey, you could re-enact the royal wedding!

I am quite taken with the dragon!

I think this embroidered laundry bag may be quite old. I’m hoping to resell this one.  Don’t you think she has a Twenties look?

I also picked up a book called Flea Market Makeovers

and a Martha Stewart cookbook.

 

Published some time ago, from the youthfulness of Martha’s pic!

 

Just having it in the house seems to be inspirational – my husband is in the kitchen making a strawberry tart. Not Martha’s recipe, the one his mother gave us long ago. Hmmm, really long ago. I remember sitting in their kitchen before we were married and writing that recipe on an index card – and we just had our 39th anniversary!