Surprises

I had a comment on my last post recently from Genie saying I’ve been missed, and I was very touched. I love getting comments (exception = spam!!) and it’s been my practice to comment in reply. I’m not sure what’s going on with the old blog, but it just will not let me leave a comment. Wants me to keep signing in, even though I have signed in and it's my own blog, dammit. I hope no one else has been similarly frustrated. Ain’t technology grand? Actually yes, it is, but it sure can be frustrating.

I was going to say that my tolerance for frustration has not increased along with my age, but upon reflection perhaps it has. I can certainly roll my eyes and shrug and say “oh well” about most things that don't go as I'd wish. Which has been a good attitude to bring to garaging this summer; the pickings have been slim. Since I don't actually need anything and I rarely resell now it really doesn’t matter, and I still have fun conversations with folks along the way. And life still throws a few surprises at me from time to time.

I'm still chuckling about something that happened when I was leaving a sale a couple of weeks ago. I was just about to get into my car when a woman leaving the same sale called over to me, “Hey, are you that woman who is running for governor?” It’s a startling thing to be asked. (Not, of course, if you actually are running for governor.) I assured her I was not that person and she went on her way. On further reflection, I decided I might vote for a candidate I'd seen shopping on driveways, since to me it denotes a sensible attitude on fiscal responsibility.

At another recent sale I came upon two middle aged guys going through DVDs and other items. One of them discovered a thick notebook filled with cards – like baseball cards – in plastic sleeves. Oh look, he exclaimed, these are all of Diana Rigg when she was in The Avengers. I couldn’t help laughing; there are collector’s cards of Diana Rigg in The Avengers? Sheesh, who knew. Then the other one said very seriously that the problem with this notebook was that nothing was in its original packaging which was such a shame. I can see there’s a whole area of collecting out there that I am completely ignorant of. And plan to remain so, thank you.

And yes, they did buy all the collecting cards.

At another place I had an enjoyable conversation with a lady I remembered buying some yarn from a few years ago at her previous sale. We talked about yarn and textiles and somehow segued into gardening, and she asked I'd like to see her back yard, that she was a novice gardener but had planted lots of flowers over the past couple of years. We headed to the back, and it was stunning – a riot of color and texture, just wonderful. “Hey,” I said, “I'm on the Open Garden Committee of the Salem Hardy Plant Society, is there any chance you’d like to open your garden for members to visit one of these days?” And she said yes! Even though she’s not yet a member, she opened her garden this weekend, and everyone who visited love it. I had such a good time watching her connect with other gardeners and just soaking in the peace of her garden. So Linda, thank you so much for surprising me and saying yes!

My biggest surprise lately did not happen while I was garaging however. I was  grocery shopping and headed to my favorite pet store for dog food. These folks partner with a cat rescue group and sometimes have adoptable kitties in the store; it is in fact where I found my Millie. 

I always glance over at the big walk-in enclosure just to see if any kitties are there, and this time there was one – a tiny dark gray tabby kitten, ten weeks old. Our eyes met. He gave a tiny little mew. And I was a goner.

I was in no way in the market for an additional pet. But I was smitten. When I left the store with my dog food I was telling myself sternly that I had to think about this overnight, I should not rush into anything. By the time I got home I was telling myself sternly that I had to think about this at least until I put the groceries away. When I finished with the groceries…I went straight to my phone and called the pet store and said that kitten in MINE!

And he is. His name is Stanley and he is fabulous.

For such a baby he’s quite mellow. Had the run of the house within a day and gets along with everyone. Plays adorably, eats like a champ, and likes to cuddle. He tucks himself beside my pillow and sleeps all night. Okay, a couple of times he’s been up at 2 a.m. to play with my eyebrows, but hey, he’s a baby. I could not be happier with my impulsive decision and have no regrets at all.

Which reminded me of an earlier cat adoption, when we took in Puddy. He was at least 12 at the time, and I was afraid it would be hard to integrate him into the family. But he walked in, greeted the other cat and two dogs, and simply settled in to live the rest of his life with us. Again, no regrets, and he inspired me to write this. Feel free to substitute your name of choice for Puddy – and say yes to the next surprise that comes your way!

PUDDY SONG

You should always say ‘yes’ to a Puddy.

A Puddy’s a wonderful thing.

They’ll purr for you in the autumn

And summer, and winter, and spring.

They lay by you in your bed at night

And sing you a soft lullaby

And during the day, they’ll get in your way

And crouch where you want to walk by.

 

You should always say yes to a Puddy.

A Puddy’s a wonderful guy.

They’ll be with you when you are happy

And mop up your tears when you cry.

They eat whatever you give them,

Then bump your head with their nose

And when dinner’s done, they lie in the sun

In a perfectly artistic pose.

 

So always say yes to a Puddy

If a Puddy should come to your door.

He’s wise and he has much to teach you

And a Pud can't be bought at the store.

Though at first you might think you don’t need one

And you try to say no, not for me.

You’ll never regret a Pud as a pet

Just try one, and then you will see.

The Year on Driveways

Another thrifty year has come and gone – spreadsheet time! Although it felt like there were way fewer sales this year (and definitely fewer that made my heart go pitty-pat), my spreadsheet tells me I went out on a total of 35 days. They were unevenly spread through the year – some weekends I went out on consecutive days, then there would be weeks when it wasn’t worth taking the car out. Still, I managed to spend $256.55, which procured an estimated retail value of over $5000. I say phooey to retail – at least most of the time!

The total spent was about twice as much as last year, but 2020 should probably just be stricken from the books, right? One bright spot is that I brought home three items (total expenditure $4.50) that I resold for a profit of $100.88. So that paid for almost half of the year’s fun. There was a pair of Heath Ceramic dinner plates (they sold overnight, wish I’d priced them higher!), 

a rummage sale blouse of a pricey brand,

and a vintage Erica Wilson embroidery kit that turned fifty cents into $31+.

While I bought three splurges (all were art!), of the 168 things I brought home, 66 were fifty cents or less, and only 49 were over a dollar. I confess I'm astounded that I added that many items to my home. There were 27 pieces of clothing and (goodness!) 8 pairs of shoes. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But the most I paid for anything was three bucks, and the total for all that was $54.25. Okay, I feel better now – especially when I see that some of the shoes are still available to buy retail – for $210 a pair.

My entertainment category had the highest number, 23 books, magazines and movies. Kitchen things were right behind with 22 – ranging from cute tiny plates to stainless steel skillets to a glass made specifically for drinking Canadian whiskey. Not just any whiskey, Canadian. That was worth the twenty-five cents just to learn that such a thing existed. But the Dansk bowls that match the mugs I already owned may be my favorite in this category.

Looks like my poor pets were a little neglected this year. I brought home only 2 things for them, and Millie managed to break the ceramic treat jar within a couple of days. However, the little quilt is still a fave of them all.

The ‘category of shame’, otherwise known as donations, was not terribly embarrassing this year – 21 items that totaled $19.55. And five of those were free. So that brings my total down to 147 items – doesn’t that sound better?

Probably the biggest thrill of the year was the only piece of furniture I bought – the vintage midcentury double bed with the amazing headboard. 

For five bucks. I'm still thrilled – and the vintage double sheets I bought for a buck apiece were the icing on the cake!

Actually, I have to amend that – the bed was the second biggest thrill. Best of all was reaching the millionth visitor milestone back in March. Wow. Thanks for coming along for the ride – now let’s see what 2022 will bring!

The New Blanket

Zoe’s been needing a new blanket. I know you know that when I say new, I mean new-to-us, not new-new. She likes something portable that she can dig and arrange and create a nest. She’s been using one made of two layers of fleece with the edges cut into strips and tied together. The fabric is cute and she’s gotten a lot of use from it, but…it’s made of polyester.

The more I read of the pollution in the ocean caused by laundering polyester textiles, the more bothered I've become about it. There is almost no polyester in my clothing and household goods (you know me and cotton and linen and cashmere!) but here was this blanket. Which, being used entirely by dogs who drag it around and sleep on it, definitely needs laundering fairly often. So I decided to look for a replacement made of cotton. I figured I'd see one of those loosely woven cotton throws before too long (which I haven’t).

But I think I found something better – a thick small sized quilt that apparently was originally from World Market or the like. Spotted it at a sale in my old neighborhood on Friday, with a price tag of two bucks. As it turned out it was the only find of the day, but that’s fine, because it's been a total hit.

I threw it into the washer as soon as I got home. Washed and dried beautifully. It's thick, hand quilted with what appears to be a cotton batting. 

I took it into the house and laid it on the bed to admire, and two seconds later saw this.

A couple minutes passed and....

All three of my girls love this thing! Right now it’s covering their side of the bed. I keep finding them hanging out on it during the day, 

and at bedtime they line up down its length and snooze all night. The size is perfect both for the bed and for the sofa during the day, especially as it gets cooler. I haven’t told the girls yet, but I really like this thing too. We may have to work out some kind of time share agreement so I can get cozy under it too.

It almost makes me look forward to winter. I see myself snuggled into my red sofa, sipping a cup of tea, reading a good book, quilted throw over my legs, Millie on my lap, Fannie holding down one side and Zoë the other.

The furnace will not be needed, and there will be absolutely no chance of me falling off the sofa!

Solo Fun

All my buddies were otherwise occupied Friday morning, but I always enjoy solo garaging. Sometimes it's nice to go at your own pace, blithely driving on by minimal sales as the spirit strikes you.

(Using that word ‘minimal’ makes me wonder, though – with the seemingly growing minimalist mindset among young folks [a new book on minimalism seems to be published about every 20 minutes], what will the yard sales of the future look like? Okay, there’s your writing assignment for the week – describe a minimalist’s estate sale!)

I saw what I considered to be the most ridiculous item of the day at my very first stop.

A board book version of Moby Dick. I believe it was actually a counting book using the Moby Dick reference as a gimmick, but come on. Board books are aimed at toddlers, Moby Dick is considered one of the milestones of American literature. Think how confused the kids who were exposed to this thing at an impressionable age are going to be when they get to high school or college and find out that Moby Dick is about something other than counting sea creatures.

Needless to say I did not bring this non-classic home with me, but I did find a few other items to add to my non-minimalist lifestyle. Like an ornate metal frame for a 1909 postcard Judy gave me recently

 

and a beautiful little Wedgewood demitasse. I don't drink coffee, but this will be perfect for sipping tea.

I didn’t think these painted shoes would actually fit, but they do. When KK saw them her comment was, “Those are SO you.”

I've been watching for a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, and have passed up several because the prices were too high. This one was fifty cents – the price was just right.

These aren't the greatest for scooping ice cream if it's very hard, but perfect for scooping muffin batter. Much neater than using a spoon.

My favorite find of the day came from the annual sale of a couple of ladies over on the posh side of town. (The governor’s mansion is a few blocks away; that kind of posh.) They always have interesting textiles, and one of them this year was an $8 king size quilt of probably hand-printed cotton from India. 

It's stuffed with thick cotton batting, and the fabric is very soft. And it's reversible, so twice the wear before needing washing.

But of course the important thing is, the girls love it!

Unusual

We often joke about "the item of the day" when we're out garaging - something we see for sale everywhere through a morning. This week we kept finding odds and ends of greeting cards with envelopes in baggies. Guess I'm not the only one who mostly sends ecards now. Or probably most people send greetings via Facebook, which I don't use. Anyway, even old ladies (like me!) are now getting rid of their birthday and thank-you cards. (I still keep an appropriate stash for sympathy cards, though. Call me old fashioned, but there are some things you just should not get in your email and a sympathy card is one of them.)

But occasionally we find something that none of us has ever seen on a driveway before. Something like...

...a cute harness so you can take your pet rat for a walk!

So I'm wondering: will we ever see another? Or will we start seeing them all the time, like they've always been around and we just didn't notice?

What's the most unusual thing you've ever spotted for sale?

Coinkidinks

We were in the back hallway of a house having an estate sale Friday when KK saw someone who looked familiar.

“Are you Bo’s mom?” she asked, and the woman said yes. “I’ve seen you at the dog park,” KK went on. “I go there with my dog Willow? That Bo is just the cutest little thing.”

The woman looked a bit confused. KK went on talking about the dog park, until the lady interrupted her, laughing. “Actually, my dog’s name is Charlie Brown. Usually my husband takes him to the dog park but sometimes I do. But the reason I said yes was, my son is named Bo!” We all cracked up over the coincidence. I mean, what are the odds?

That was the sale where I spent the most money on Friday—a buck and a half. For which I got an unopened can of tahini and two fancy jars of jam.

It was not a big spending day! My only other purchases were for danglies to put on textile necklaces—a bracelet

and a couple of bobeches (bobeche? aka candle wax drip catchers) with nice beads.

KK’s big splurge was two bucks for a large sheet of high-quality plywood for a future painting. Which came from a sale where we saw something surprising...KK’s truck again! And this time we got to meet that other KK. Who evidently is another thrifter, so we will probably keep running into her and her unusual vehicle.

Turns out that it's not a golf cart at all. It's a one seat, three-wheeled vehicle made for use as a meter-maid cart. She pointed out to us how strongly it’s built, with roll bars built into the chassis all around. I believe it is one of these Westward Interceptors. She bought it at a police auction in Seattle.

Reportedly it is street legal and will do up to 60 MPH. “But the only time I tried that,” said the other KK, “it was pretty scary. With just one front wheel it wouldn’t take much to tip over at that speed.”

She seems to be making good thrifting use of her diminutive steed. There was an 8 foot long board sticking out of the off-side window!

Some of you may remember my big splurge from a few weeks ago on a 100% alpaca throw. Ten bucks is definitely a lot for me to spend, but these babies cost hundreds of dollars if you buy them in a store, and it’s quite luscious. Turns out I'm not the only one who thinks so—our Zoë has discovered that the best place to spend the night is curled up in alpaca.

Isn’t this the epitome of why we thrift? I'd be terrified to spend hundreds on pretty much anything, afraid of ruining it and wasting all that money. But by spending a few hours shopping on driveways, Zozo and I can both wallow in luxury!

Small Town, Big Fun

Went down to Roseburg (2 hour drive away) to visit our friends Diana and Dave and go to the Umpqua Valley Quilt Show this weekend. Eye candy galore! Diana and I oohed and aahed our way through the exhibit hall at the county fairgrounds.

We were simultaneously inspired and intimidated by the wonderful work that we saw. Of course some pieces were more amazing than others, but the quality of the quilts was truly wonderful. There was even a little quilt made by a four-year-old during “Grandma Camp!” (Sorry, didn’t get a picture of it, simple squares sewn into a wall hanging or doll blanket, but still…a four-year-old!)

The quilt guild sponsoring the show had a large booth in the back of the hall, and their main display made this old thrifter’s heart happy.

Of course we found a few things and put together an inch – although the lady who took my dollar thought our inch was too short and encouraged me to pick out something else. But I was happy with what we had.

Somewhat to my surprise, that wasn’t the only thrifty shopping I got to do. We planned to head south about 2 p.m. on Friday, so KK and I went out in the morning to see what we could find. Which wasn’t much, but I was happy with this.

 

I've noticed these pet-hair-collecting gloves online (they’re one of those “as seen on TV” items, but I don’t own a television so those are rarely “as seen by me”). Wouldn’t have spent ten or fifteen bucks on one, but for a dollar I was willing to give it a try, and it does a pretty good job.

Fannie turns out to have quite an undercoat and is starting to shed. And though Zoë has zero undercoat her short white hairs get into everything. So I think we’ll get our dollar’s worth. And I did get a good laugh from the literature that came in the box, with its “Important Safety Instructions.” I mean, really? Safety instructions?

And by golly, they left out the only one I think might be needed: Don’t use this glove wrong-side out. Ouch!

Saturday morning Diana and I stopped at one estate sale on our way to the fairgrounds. It was really picked over, guess it had started on Thursday, and I wish we’d been there that day because I think there was some cool stuff. Like a particularly gorgeous stained glass screen that we saw a picture of in their ad, but that was gone. However, I did spent two bucks and left with another addition to my glass-vases-in-the-window collection

a cozy muffler from Ireland

(I've already ignored the ‘dry clean only’ tag; honestly, do people really take something like a scarf to the dry cleaners? Do they think the wool never got wet when it was on the sheep?)

and three containers of miscellaneous buttons.

Probably nothing too valuable in them, though I'm still trying to figure out what these metal buttons depict.

A lovely lady? But, ummm, are those horns among her hair? Frankly, my first impression was Ludwig van Beethoven, so maybe I'll stick with that.

Buttons are in the eye of the beholder, right?

Diana got the real deal of the day though. She’s part of a church group that is upgrading a meeting room where women in recovery can gather, and they need some decent chairs. She was admiring the four dining chairs at the estate sale, which were marked $80. This turned out to be the price for all four, but they have zero budget for the project. The price went down to $40, then $30. We both tried them out and they were very comfy and in great shape, so she decided to get them.

When we got home I noticed a maker’s tag on the bottom of one chair and the word ‘Denmark.’ So I looked them up, and it turned out they are from the Danish company Bolinge, probably made in the Sixties. And worth quite a bit more than $7.50 each! There are two each of these two styles, all with the original upholstery (which I think is wool) and most likely made of teak.

So instead of taking them straight to the meeting room, they are going to try to sell them to someone who appreciates midcentury furniture, and use whatever they raise that way to furnish the room.

Treasures lurk everywhere, don’t they?