Gods, Dogs and Chairs

The yard sale gods evidently were very, very sorry for last week. I mean, when two acquisitive women spend all morning at yard sales and manage to spend fifty cents between them, you have to figure you’ve either seriously offended the YSGs, or they’ve gone on vacation. I’m leaning toward the vacation theory…and now they are back.

I mean, today I spent a little over $26. Given my frugality you know it was a big day. Started out small, with me just taking pictures of stuff I thought was kind of cool but didn’t buy. Like this, um, lab equipment thingie.

Couldn’t think of anything to do with it except perhaps place it next to the control panel from a 1916 x-ray machine in my husband’s office (a story for another day). So I left it.

Wasn’t even tempted by these.

 

Her brother assured me I should not be fooled by the wings or the angelic expression. I wasn’t. They did enjoy my story about the guy I saw a while back do something similar, and then wasn’t able to get the darned wings off. His buddies were most amused.

First buy was a DVD.

Then a couple of vintage books I’m hoping to resell, though it looks like they won’t make my fortune as I had naively hoped.

At the same sale I picked up this handmade wooden jar. Just liked it. Might have been made by the same guy who tied the flies. Once it’s cleaned up I think it will be quite nice.

A stack of gardening magazines is always welcome.

Met a few dogs along the way. Handsome Kahlua was very hopeful that the cookies might be shared with him. But they weren’t.

Miss Molly gave my car a good sniffing. She’s elderly; maybe her eyesight is going and she thought it was a big dog.

Found a gift for a friend who likes dragonflies, one of those crystal cubes etched inside by a laser. Hopefully I’ll be able to give it to her before she reads this!

Another sale provided these little LED lights for a dime apiece

  

and a free sundial, something I’ve always wanted.

By now I was definitely feeling the beneficence of the yard sale gods, and sending them my thanks. And then it happened.

Walked up to one of those sales where the little kids have a table of cookies for sale. Noticed that two of them were sitting on rather nice mid century modern dining chairs. Took a couple more steps and saw two more of the chairs…with a price tag for the set of four. Fairly reasonable, although the woven seats of all four must be redone. Given that, I suggested an even more reasonable price, and soon they were mine.

I really, really like the look of them. Even with the seats coming undone they are rock solid and comfy to sit on. I love the contrasting wood on the backrest

   

and the sculptural quality of the pieces.

I wedged the four of them into the convertible and toted them home, and gloated over them for a while. Then started looking online to see if I could find a maker, since I don’t see any labels. (They may have had paper labels that have come off, or something under the weaving.) And I do believe I found them. Looks like they are the CH23 chair by Hans Wegner. If you’re into mid century furniture you know how exciting that is! Hans Wegner designed really cool stuff and I have lusted over pictures of his furniture for some time, never dreaming I would actually find some that I could afford. You can do a Google Image search on his name, or click here to see the results I got.

I’m sure I’ll get a bit snarly when I reweave all the seats, but I’ve done that kind of weaving before so I’m sure I can handle it. The Danish papercord will cost far more than I paid for the chairs, I’m sure! But when they’re done we will have four matching dining chairs for the first time. I’ll try to finish them before our 40th anniversary next spring!

So here’s to the yard sale gods: all my appreciation for a fine morning. Hope they smiled on you as well!