From Chairs to Armadillos

Guess I must have stayed on holiday all week! One of the many beauties about being retired. Plus, it took most of the week before we had settled ownership of the desk chair. Far from fighting over it, we were more in the “no, you take it” mode.

So here’s the story: last Saturday I went to an estate sale a few blocks from home. The place was packed with eager buyers, so mostly to avoid some of the crowd I went downstairs first to look around. And right away I saw this vintage desk chair.

I knew Judy was looking for one; her new house has TWO built in desks. (Have I told you her new home is very cool?) So I called her and left a message that I’d found her desk chair. In a bold move, I decided that I’d just go ahead and buy it, that if she didn’t like it I did. It was a whopping twenty bucks (okay, that’s whopping for me!) but I gave it the butt test (i.e. sat in it) and it passed. I asked the young man keeping an eye on things to carry it upstairs for me; he lifted it and one of the casters fell off. So I picked it up and tucked it into his pants pocket, assuring him I was not being fresh. I’m not sure he even knew what the term meant but another shopper (my age) giggled.

After a while I called Judy again to tell her about the MCM stereo console that might work for her TV stand, and soon she called me back. They were working to get their old house ready to sell, but she jumped in her car and drove over. By now the line to pay stretched across the garage and into the kitchen, blocking the only door available to go in, but somehow we parted the crowds and made our way inside. Since the line was so long, I went ahead and got into it while she looked around. Decided against the stereo (over 7’ long – too big!) but she did have fun looking at the vintage hats.

Paid for the chair, which had been commandeered by one of the estate sale guys. “Leroy, get out of that chair!” the lady who took my money hollered. He did so reluctantly, and we wheeled it to my car and managed to up-end it into the back seat (fortunately the day was nice enough to have the top down on the car).

When I got home I put the chair in my office and sat down at my computer. “I really like this chair,” I told my husband.

A couple of days later I said, “I sure hope Judy decides she doesn’t want this chair.” I kept going back and forth in my head – will she say she wants it because she knows I bought it with her in mind, even if she really doesn’t? I could see a sort of “Gift of the Magi” situation developing. Finally I told her I’d like to keep it, and sweetie pie that she is, she replied that was wonderful, and she felt like she got to give me a gift this way.

So I have a new old desk chair. I know it’s truly vintage because it has four feet instead of five.

Not as safe, but I’ve had experience with these and know to be careful. (No, we will not be recounting the story of the time I managed to fall out of a four-footed desk chair at work…)

This weekend, Friday was just a bust. Nada, zip. But Saturday was better. I found an Ottlite, which I’ve always wanted to try

 

and some movies and CDs

and a 1942 book that I started reading this morning.

I’m happy to report that I managed to resist bringing home any of the free fabric I encountered at one sale. They were urging me to take some and I said I was resisting because I knew I wouldn’t use any of it right away. But that if it had been yarn things would be different! Turns out the lady was also a knitter so we had a nice chat about socks. She used to make argyles, which has me in awe.

I didn’t resist the armadillo, though.

         I’m not quite sure why. I just like him. Hand carved, possibly of ironwood.

But…everyone needs an armadillo, don’t they?