Yard Sale Finds

I've rarely gone to yard sales on my own. I used to go with a friend of mine, who would map them out, and head out early Saturday morning, to get to all of them via the most efficient route. She would stop, pop in, cruise the tables quickly, and take off. I always felt guilty if I didn't buy anything, as I figured that people must REALLY NEED the money, to be selling their stuff. Having spent, oh, about twenty-one years working on that issue, I have realized that it is just a way of getting rid of TOO MUCH STUFF. Which we all have (too much stuff, that is). So, when I spotted a yard sale on the way downtown yesterday morning, that looked as if it might have chairs (of which I have given myself permission to look for one), I decided that I would be brave and stop. Bravery? what does that have to do with anything, you ask. Well, you are listening to the rambles of someone who used to be unable to call a movie theater to find out how much the movie was, and what time it was at. What did I think might happen to me over the phone? I don't recall. But it has taken decades to heal from that one. So, the fact that I CIRCLED THE BLOCK on the way home, to get to the yard sale, was extremely forward of me. And, lo and behold, there were three chair-type chairs, a table and four chairs set, two easy chairs, and two sofas for sale. Having shopped for chair with a friend of mine who is not very tall, I knew at least a little bit about actually trying on chairs for fit. And a little bit about inspecting them for durability. So, the one chair on the end, which looks rather like a patio chair, that has been repainted red, and the paint is chipping, didn't look really great, but I sat down in it, and it fit quite well! The seat is big enough that I do not feel cramped. The armrests are just about the right height, and the seat actually reaches the back of my knees. (Before shopping with my friend, I didn't know that the chair seat was SUPPOSED reach the back of your knees). And the chair was part of the "Free" lineup. So, in to the car it got loaded. It has now had an evening trial, and it is still quite comfortable, though not the PERFECT chair for sitting at the kitchen table, but better than what I had. I then browsed the other free stuff, and got free broken coffee cups with pretty pictures, and broken pottery tiles, all to go in the "pottery" bin in the garage, which will someday be a materials source for artwork. Stepping stones, a cafe table to drink coffee at, water holders for bird-baths. I then ventured to the table, which was very much the size I want, and round, and had four chairs. But the chairs seats were not long enough. So I left it there. Some storage units were very much something that I wanted, but realistically, there is no-where to put them. So, I did not burden myself with them. Several plates looked interesting. One is a simple china platter in blue, with a light brown edge. A very good "Deviled Eggs to the potluck" kind of plate. The other is more dished, with flowers and leaves on the inside. It just took chips to a potluck today, but might morp into a bird bath? No, too deep. And I don't want to cover the pretty flowers with moss gardens, or anything like that. And then, and THEN, I looked in the box under the table! 11 of the 2-3 oz. jars of fiber-reactive dyes! and two of the weird widgets for Batik! and wax and two nesting pots for melting the wax! I have always wanted to do arts and crafts, and it never seemed to be a priority in our household when I was growing up. In retrospect, my dad liked to make things, and would sometimes start a "make a gift for the newspaper boy, the mailman, the milkman, and the paperboy" back when my dad was in medical school (with a wife and three kids), and we didn't have much money. But there was never money to buy materials, and no guidance on how to make things. I fell in love with Batik as a teenager, but have never gotten to do it. And I will have to think small projects through, as Batik operates backwards from how I think, so I'll have to stretch my brain around it. Then, I saw some jewelry bits, two squares from a bracelet perhaps, of abalone set in silver. I LOVE abalone. But what to do with the pieces? not really useable for a piece of jewelry. but wait-what about assembling a cool piece of sculpture to place somewhere, using the abalone squares! Yes! and wait-some of those other bits-single earrings-they would work well in different sculptural creations. So, I came home with many treasures, and left behind many treasures that I just couldn't store for now, and wrote my earlier blog, about what I will be when I grow up.

Eating Locally

25 May

When I got home, I made the most wonderful salad! Lettuce from a local organic farm, kale leaves from volunteers in my garden, Indian Plum growing tip leaves, dandelion greens. Added chive blossoms, curly marjoram tips, lemon balm tips, and sweet cicely seeds.  Vinagrette from the store. Lettuce was grown 15 miles away, harvested by me about 12 hours ago. Other bits grown on my property, harvested by me about 10 minutes ago. Dressing was the only thing to travel. I am definitley going to manage the Indian Plum in the orchard more, to provide more tasty tips. This was from one that I had simply cut to ground level about 6 weeks ago. I may cut more of them down, while the rains are still here. Indian Plum and dandelions are bitter flavors, which I like. The Indian Plum has undertones of cucumber. The Sweet Cicely seeds are at the green and chewy stage, and taste like licorice.

When I Grow Up

When I grow up I will be an artist. My woods will have things that make wonderful sounds in the wind. There will be assortments of strange objects, that anyone can use to create music. In the gardens will be assemblies of water-catchers, catching and holding and passing around water, allowing the water to speak. When the sun shines, I will have dangling objects which shine and sparkle and reflect. There will be banners of fabrics, painted or dyed or bejeweled, aging softly through the years. Stumps in the shade will have mosses and ferns growing from them, and vines of honeysuckle stretching, reaching, waving, until they can touch a branch, and continue beyond.

          I will get to work with beads and sequins and rainbows of fabric, and all the arts that I wanted to play with as a child, teenager, adult, mother. I will sew wonderous velvet appliques on my clothing. The piece of Nepalese mirrored embroidery that I have will become the yoke of a shirt with full sleeves pleated into cuffs decorated, perhaps, with more Nepalese embroidery. Or possibly something else. Metallic tracery of some sort.
          Right now, I am looking at a brooch shaped like a ladies garden hat, with a ribbon and a bow on it. It is done in silver and brass. I also have a brooch that is a silver and brass rose. Somehow, I envision an appliqued lady, wearing the hat, and having just picked the rose from her garden. No, the rose is too big for the hat. But an interesting earing almost looks like a circular garden basket to put the rose into. The rose and hat and basket work so well together, that I may just have to do it, and play with the perspective.