Artistic

The other members of my posse were busy Friday, so I picked a few sales from those on Craigslist and headed out alone. My first stop was the Baptist rummage sale, a jam-packed one where I've found a few things in the past.

This year, when I arrived a few minutes before the opening time, there were only about 8 cars in the lot and a corresponding number of people waiting at the door. We looked at each other a little sheepishly, wondering if we were there on the right day. But they had signs out, and soon a Baptist lady came to let us in, and we all headed down to the church basement to rummage.

One lady literally grabbed teacups and saucers from the ‘better goods’ table, then rushed off to find more treasure. The only thing I saw that I was willing to buy was a DVD. (One more old VHS tape replaced!) 

Perhaps the reason for the low turnout was that it was also the starting day of Salem’s big annual art festival, which draws thousands of people. I say thousands confidently because of the impossibility of parking anywhere in that part of town when it gets rolling. It's also the reason all the other sales I went to were in that neighborhood; folks time their sales to take advantage of festival goers who have to park many blocks away and walk. But it was still well before festival start time and the yard sales were as tame as the rummage sale. One quite posh house yielded this book 

which was published in 1945 and leads you through the whole process of planning your midcentury modern house, including how many bookshelves to include in each room.

A few blocks away I scored nice, brand-new, thick Pendleton socks for the hubs 

and something Judy has been looking for – dryer balls. Hedgehog dryer balls! 

The last sale had quite a hodgepodge of items on the lawn. I don’t usually look at piles of stuffed toys, but I spotted a replica of the Velveteen Rabbit signed by an artist, and when the price was fifty cents did a little more looking. 

The guy having the sale said his mother has just gone into a memory care facility, but that she used to be quite a collector and reseller. “It wasn’t quite to the point of hoarding,” he said, “but she used to go to thrift stores three or four times a day." Further searching unearthed another artist-made toy, a pristine white mohair teddy.

The two of them are settling in with other toys.

But wait, this is no toy hanging out with the rabbit.

Could that be a real live kitten? It is indeed. Please meet Millie.

She is pretty close to perfect; about the only thing we’re still negotiating is how much of a person’s head she is allowed to sleep on (and purr loudly) at night. About three months old, friendly, outgoing, calm, playful…and housebroken. Got her through a local rescue group. The only information we have on her earlier life is that the litter was found in a ditch in Silverton. I think they must have been found with the mother and gone to a foster home that did an amazing job socializing this little one. She’s completely at home with everything that goes on in a house, and when you put your hand down low she comes running to you. She passed her vet exam with flying colors, including making the entire staff fall in love with her.

We are quite smitten.

Even Zoë!