Which Way the Wind Blows…

 Those of you who have been visiting my blog for a while have probably noticed that I like bunnies.

There. I’ve admitted it. I have a bunch of bunnies. I never set out to collect them, but they do keep finding me. I like to think the ones I’ve brought home (and I have seen thousands that I did not bring home) are especially appealing. Some have come into my life and left again – perhaps downsized, or broken like the bunny pin cushion I made from a little vintage planter (sigh).

My dog Fannie has a particular favorite bunny, which her sister Millie the mischievous cat knocks off the shelf for her from time to time, a little stuffed toy I made from an old cashmere sweater. I got up a few days ago and discovered Fannie had spent the night snuggled up on the sofa with the cashmere bunny, which was a bit disheveled but all in one piece.

Friday’s sales were skimpy (holiday weekend) but I had errands to run so I added a few to my list. And sure enough, there was a bunny calling my name and insisting on coming home with me. And it’s something I've secretly wanted for a long time – a weathervane.

Fortunately he’s on a spike, so I don't have to figure out how to mount him on the roof. He looks quite at home cavorting among the shrubbery, and I've discovered he has another talent in addition to responding to the wind.

He distracts the eye wonderfully from my flourishing weeds! Hooray for bunnies!

A Little Something

I just could not get myself out the door on Friday. There was a handful of sales, but widely scattered and nothing of interest in the pictures. And while I've always considered that what I've spent on gas to go to sales was a fair trade-off for the finds and the fun…right now, not so much. Whee – look at the numbers flying by on the gas pump! Did it really take only about 29 seconds to pump forty bucks worth??

But on Saturday there was a sale on the west side of town that looked good. Appeared to be a midcentury modern home (there are some beauts over there) with some cool stuff. So off I went, timing my arrival – I thought – for a bit after the early arrivals would be out of the way.

I was appalled at the half-block-long line still waiting to go in (though I appreciate that they were keeping some control on the number of people inside, since the mask mandate was lifted yesterday and almost no one was being careful). But I found a parking place right across the street (someone must just have left), and it was warm and sunny and a chance to chat with folks and admire the 7 month old baby exploring the lawn grass. Waited, and inched forward, and waited, and waited, and inched…

And then of course there was nothing I wanted. Everything I'd seen in the pictures that might have been of interest was gone, gone, gone. The first arrivals must have been a herd of locusts…or dealers. I guess it was a good chance to practice stoicism and to remind myself of the satisfaction of NOT spending anything!

There was another estate sale nearby that had started on Friday, so I swung by…just in case. I was greeted with “Everything is half price today!” which is always nice to hear, and even though there wasn’t a ton of stuff left, I found more than I did at the other sale. I added a DVD to my ever-growing collection

and picked up a fun tray.

Of course I did not notice the crack in one side until I got home, but no biggie. A little wood glue,

a clamp,

and while not invisible it's better and will serve my purpose.

And…half price!

A Late Start

Friday was SUCH an exciting day…I finally got to go to a sale. And actually spent two whole bucks! After I added them to my garaging spreadsheet, I took a look back through the years. This spreadsheet goes back to 2005, and never have I had to wait until February is almost over to make a notation. At first I was inclined to think the reason was geographic – after all, the winter weather in Southern California is more conducive to this sport – but heck, I've been back in Oregon over 10 years now.

There has been a handful of sales, mostly estate sales, since the first of the year, but nothing I saw in the pictures tempted me at all. The sale my friend Lysa and I stopped at had sewing things listed, so my excuse for going was to look for tools and notions. I don't sew all the time, but when I want to make something I don't want to pay full price for a tool or thread or whatever to accomplish the task.

This particular sale turned out to be smaller than the description made it sound and just as overpriced as estate sales tend to be. I think I may have purchased the only four items priced at fifty cents in the whole place. I did indeed find a sewing tool – a package of needle threaders. 

These have not changed one iota since I was a tot, poking through my grandma’s things and wondering what this little silver doodad was for. Of course now you can buy brightly colored plastic ones, which might actually make some sense because the reason I bought these is that I can't find the ones I know I already have. But…plastic. And even though the fifty cent price on these was not much less than the seventy-five cents they cost originally, believe me they are a bit more expensive now. Like between $3.00 and $10.00!

Rummaging through a box of kitchen odds and ends, I picked out a silicone sink strainer.

And back in a bedroom I found two embroidered pillowcases. Which I grabbed partly because of the price, and partly because when I made the bed that morning I discovered one of the pillowcases had ripped several inches on the back. 

When I got home and looked more closely, I began to see that these pillowcases have a history. I noticed that they were homemade, with more seams than usual. They are constructed of narrow strips of fabric pieced together to get enough yardage. 

As I handled them I realized that two different fabrics were used – one feels like percale sheeting, and the other is more of a muslin weight. The embroidery pattern is identical and must have been an iron-on design. When I looked closely I could see where one flower is missing its green stem and leaves. Maybe it simply got missed, or perhaps they ran out of green embroidery floss.

I'm imagining two little sisters, learning how to “make do and mend” at their mother’s knee by piecing together leftover fabric, and making their pillowcases beautiful with embroidery. 

I wish I could tell the makers how much I like them.

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!

Sneaking Out

It's been an interesting week here in the Castle of Fifty Cents.

Let us return for a moment to this past May. Springtime. Planting tomatoes in big pots, and moving them via wheelbarrow to their summer location on the front deck. See the big pot with the baby tomato plant unbalance and tip over. See the gray-haired old lady struggle it back into the wheelbarrow…and cry ouch as her back twerked. See the same old lady a couple of days later tackling a whole bunch o’ weeds with a scuffle hoe and ignoring what her back was telling her. See her trying to get out of bed the next morning - and yelping.

Fast forward six months (six months!!), past pills and doctors and x-rays and an MRI and physical therapy to this Tuesday. The old lady now has a neurosurgeon added to her medical team, and she takes her very well-scrubbed self to the local hospital where the neurosurgeon has his way with the ruptured disc in her neck.

Amazingly, you go home the same day. It seems I’m one of the lucky ones who came through a disc replacement procedure with very little pain afterward (so far anyway). I had someone around for a couple of days, but am having no trouble managing on my own. I do have to keep remembering that I am not allowed to bend, twist, move my head, or lift more than five pounds. It curtails a lot of daily activities, and I've spent the past couple of weeks weighing things so I'd know what I can pick up. Millie is 10 pounds, so she is staying at my ex’s for a bit. The dogs are willing to hop onto the sofa for treats, so I don’t have to bend over. I’m getting very good with a grabber – picked up a Q-tip from the floor with one yesterday. Unfortunately the results were not as positive with a couple of china bowls. Crash, smash. I covered up the shards with an old towel until someone came by and vacuumed them away.

So I've been reading and watching movies, and getting just a leeeetle bit bored. Why is it that being forbidden to drive makes me instantly want to hop into my car and go somewhere…preferably a really good sale?

I peeked at Craigslist Friday morning, and wouldn’t you know there was a moving sale listed that sounded great. So I tempted the ex with the vinyl albums advertised, and off we went (about a 10 minute drive, well within allowed limits). Maybe the yard sale gods thought I deserved a treat; I came away very happy. Two pairs of very comfy shoes (which I discovered retail at $150 & $200), 

a couple of pairs of knitted slacks (the cream pair are cotton and linen, yum),

a very nice planter. I'm planning to put some daffodil bulbs in it for next spring.

And a pair of Dansk bowls that match the six mugs in my cabinet! All for $15, woo hoo.

Their ad said Saturday would be half price, so I talked Steven into going back the next morning. Scored again! Two wool blankets – the cream one is already felted, 

and the other appears to be hand woven of linsey-woolsey (linen warp & wool weft). 

It was very loved by someone, who took the time to cut a strip off the side and hand stitch a rolled hem

to mend a series of holes, matching the woven pattern. (I emailed via Craigslist later to ask if they knew of its history. Turns out had been in the family forever. Family came from England and Wales, and the pattern is a combination of Cats Paw and Snails Trail. I’m guessing it’s from the 1800s!) 

Two more pairs of comfy pants. 

And three more pairs of practically new shoes – SAS, Nike, and one of my favorite brands, Naot from Israel. 

And the day's total? Ten bucks.

I feel like the garaging gods have patted me on the head and said, “You’ve been a very good girl. Now go home…and don’t bend, twist, or pick up more than five pounds!”

It IS a Small World After All

Lately I've been having small-world encounters. You know, like when you’re at a large conference with people from all over the country and you get to talking with the person next to you who is from another state, and after a bit you figure out her daughter is your next door neighbor. (Yup, that actually happened, but it was years ago, so it doesn’t count for now.)

A few weeks ago I got to talking to a good old boy at a sale, and we discovered we were both from Missouri, though he was a recent transplant to Oregon and I left Kansas City at the age of 10. We had a nice chat; he seemed a bit homesick but willing to give Oregon a chance because his wife likes it here. My favorite part was when he said, “You know what I really miss about Missouri?” There was a pause as a myriad of possibilities raced through my mind…the rolling hills? Sweet German wines? The Ozarks? Grasshoppers? Fields of corn? “No, what?” I encouraged.

“Red potatoes,” he said. “We never have red potatoes any more.”

I managed not to laugh, wondering if his wife prefers Yukon Golds and has convinced him it's all she can find here. “Ummm, that’s my favorite too, and most grocery stores have them.” He looked pleased and we went on our ways. I've wondered since if his wife has relented and fed him red potatoes, but I'll never know.

My latest example actually happened at the grocery store, and came about because I was wearing my favorite jacket, which came from a yard sale (of course). I remember the sale where I found it, but not the year; had to be between 2001 when I moved to Orange County, and 2005 when I started my garaging spreadsheet (it's not on even the earliest pages). It's a floral print barn jacket from now-defunct Smith & Hawken, who purveyed rather upscale gardening tools, clothes, and household goods. 

Made of a heavy cotton fabric; originally the collar and cuffs were dark red corduroy, but I covered them with some scraps of silk I had in my stash.

It's one of those season-spanning garments that you wear and wear and wear, and the mix of colors means it goes with just about everything. I remember paying $3 for it. I cherish the memory of wearing it at another sale where a woman declaimed loudly, “That’s the exact same fabric I have on my sofa!” Everyone shopping on her driveway slewed around to stare at what well-dressed sofas were wearing.

Anyway, I love this jacket. And so did another grocery shopper yesterday, who came up to me in the bulk foods aisle to tell me so. A compliment can be a great ice breaker, and before we knew it we were talking and laughing and comparing yard sale notes. We kept talking as we both headed to the bins of nuts, and both started to get bags of pecans. I said something like, “Aha, another pecan lover,” and she said, “Well, I’m from Oklahoma and that’s where they’re from.” I stopped dishing nuts. “I don't believe this – I'm from Oklahoma!” (It's where my family moved when we left Missouri.) We quickly ascertained we had lived in the same city, and since she was about my age I asked where she went to high school.

And would you believe that in a grocery store in Salem, Oregon, nearly 2000 miles and over 50 years away, we found we’d both graduated from the same school. Not the same year, she was there a bit before me, but she only went to that school for a year and a half, and I was there only for my senior year. Goodness, what are the odds?!

We talked and talked; it was wonderful. This is probably what I've missed most during the pandemic, just talking to people. We had to keep moving out of the way of folks who were trying to get to various bins. I'm sure they thought we were long lost sisters or something.

I've reaped many benefits over the years by thrifting; it's a habit that contributed enormously to my finances. But much more important than the stuff has been meeting so many interesting and entertaining people, both in person and through this blog.

Even at the grocery store!