This wool blanket from Ireland
has some holes in it, so it only cost a couple of bucks. “I
actually like to mend,” I confided to the lady having the sale. She smiled. “I
remember the first thing I had to mend,” she told me. “When I was five I had
the measles, and I was so bored laying there in bed all by myself. So my busy
little fingers started untying all the knots in the hand-tied quilt my grandma
had made me. I took out every single one. My mom was so mad when she found out,
but all she did was put the quilt away for a couple of years until she thought I
was old enough, and then I had to tie all those knots back again.”
She went on to tell me how she got the measles. “I was not
allowed to go play with the little girl next door because she had the measles,
so I did not go to her house. But we played dress up by throwing clothes to
each other across the driveway.”
Don’t you love that image, two little girls tossing garments
to each other across the driveway? I do wonder what the one who already had the
measles was doing outside though!
A good measles story would have been enough to make my day,
but a couple of stops later was an even better scene. My picture does NOT do it
justice.
That small dark object on the floor was a realistic-looking
plastic turtle that walked while singing a song about slow down, you’re moving
too fast. A woman had just bought it (how
I wish I'd gotten to it first! Yes, I would totally buy a singing turtle) and
was showing it off, and everyone in the garage gathered around to watch. I'm not
sure what was funnier, the turtle or the sight of eight or ten women of various
ages laughing as we all watched it.
Garaging just does not get any better than that!
After a measles story and a singing turtle, buying stuff was
a bit anticlimactic. I did bring home a large-leaved hosta
a “summer dress” for
Fannie
and a cute Peter Rabbit 3-D shadowbox.
And our last stop just happened to be at the house across
the street from a giant chicken.
A good Friday!
Posts
When I was in second grade, I think it was, I had the mumps, measles and chicken pox one right after the other. (That was over 50 years ago!) It took about 6 weeks for me to get back to school. They thought I couldn't catch up, but I did, so I didn't have to repeat a year of school. I think I shared measles with my one sister who was 13 months younger, but I don't think my other sister was affected. She would have been maybe 4. Now, there are vaccines for those. I remember my polio vaccine was in liquid form but my small pox was fairly large, as a child, and is in my upper arm. Things change!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny about the turtle. I love the interaction we get at some sales.
The Peter Rabbit shadowbox is so cute!
Love that partial view of the giant chicken! I think we would have had a great time if we could have joined you!
Clearly we must be about the same age, I have the same vaccine memories! And my second brother and I shared measles and chicken pox one after the other!
DeleteThe chicken looks like Sean Spicer!
ReplyDeleteHey, whaddaya know!
DeleteI love your blog, Sharon. My favorite of your finds is the bunny weights that clip onto the edge of a tablecloth. Junebug's favorite of your finds is Fannie Lucille!
ReplyDeleteJunie has wonderfully good taste!
DeleteSharon, I hope the launch of your new book is a great success! I haven't yet read the series, and I thought you'd be happy to know that I have just put in a request to my local public library to order all the titles. I can hardly wait to get my hands on them!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I absolutely love being in libraries!
Delete