Forty Down, Heading for…

Forty one! Yes, our big old anniversary was last weekend, and we celebrated with friends and family, food and fireworks. And dogs – our friends Diana and Dave came up for the weekend with Sophie and Tootsie.

Can we say circus?

We got to try out our yard-sale sparklers, which are not the sparklers I remember from childhood. Which were the kind that had a glowing hot wire left when you were finished, which you threw on the ground while you did your next sparkler, and someone would step on it with bare feet. Nope, these sparklers had different sections, some just sparking, some like little roman candles. And nothing but ash left on the tip of the stick. Much harder to hurt yourself these days!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without garaging, right? We took in the Master Gardeners’ Yard and Plant Sale on Saturday morning, where Steven and I scored a couple of tomato plants, some lettuce starts, and two kinds of mint – including a chocolate mint. Yummers, what a scent! Then we took in some garage sales on the way back home. My big score was this decidedly silly picture.

I know, doesn’t look like much in this photo. It’s the construction that got me – pins and wire on black velvet.

And it was only a buck, so no biggie if it stops amusing us.

My other ‘big’ score of the weekend was at the rummage sale at the Episcopalian Church.

We had brunch at a winery a few weeks ago, where they were touting the use of an aerating pouring spout to make sure your red wine is at the peak of perfection when it hits your glass. The ones they were selling were something like fifty bucks, and at least that much more for the accompanying stand. As if! So I was quite chuffed to find this baby, new in its box, tossed among the miscellaneous kitchenware – for a quarter. Works pretty darned good too, and our cheap wine from Trader Joe’s tasted just fine!

I meant to post earlier in the week, but you know how the days slip away. Here it is Friday again, and we’re awaiting the arrival this evening of some cousins (with their cats) who are driving from California to Canada. (Hmmm, would that be a C trip?) I knew I’d better get my garaging in this morning, since tomorrow we’ll be munching homemade granola and catching up on family news. the morning was even nice enough to crank the top down on the car, woo hoo! I was charmed by the pair of little girls at the sale where I picked up a new-in-package shower curtain (good to have on hand).

The baby was giggling and gurgling happily as she sat by the drive, and the three year old was quite the singer. She seemed to be making up her own songs and was way more tuneful than many kids that age. I chatted a few minutes with their parents, and wished them luck getting rid of everything. My take on it is, never take anything back in the house at the end of your sale. Straight to the thrift store. When I mentioned this, the dad thanked me; guess his wife was having more trouble parting with stuff. Which I have certainly been through. But by now I know that once it’s out of your life, you probably won’t even remember what the stuff was.

I picked up this big wicker basket to plant the lettuces in that we got last week. Our old wheelbarrow that we used for a salad garden didn’t make the trip north. (Yes, we ran out of room on the truck!)

And I fiound some more possible attachments for the whirligig I’ll be making in a workshop at the end of the month. Found 4 of these mugs

and these puppies might be fun on it too.

Except…now I want to make cream horns. Puff pastry and cream filling…sounds awfully yummy!

I also picked up this vintage afghan. I’m sure it’s wool; it’s been pre-felted!

Thanks to everyone who sent Zoe good wishes after her operation. She was released from jail in time to play with the dachshunds, and probably had a better time than they did. Her incision is all healed and she’s full of pep. Those of you with dogs know how hard it can be to get them enough exercise. But we’ve finally come up with something that’s really helping…the Puppy Stairmaster!

See Zoe run! Run, Zoe, run and run!