It could have been the smell of early morning dew on early morning grass that made me wear a Carolina blue baseball cap, rosy red lipstick and my trusty gold hoops. It was the Sale of the Century and I was out to replenish an already overflowing inventory pile making mountains of clinky-clanky sounds in the castle. Homer is so tired of all the dust and noise. He says he can't sleep late anymore because I'm always disturbing his beauty rest in the dungeon. But back to the sale.
It was 7am on a Saturday morning. I'd been up since 4:00 following a long line of taillights. Thousands of pieces of fancy and functional china in boxes laid out on a parking lot pavement. Oh.my.back.oh.my.back. Soooo beautiful and soooo much to see. And nobody ma'amed me all day long until an overzealous gatekeeper stopped me and my little red wagon to ask (accuse) if I'd paid for the empty boxes in said red wagon. Seriously??? Here's how it went down.
It was my second trip inside (wearing an armband, mind you) when I decided to turn around and go back OUT to the ladies room before I started shopping again. I did so, then re-entered the sale. "Ma'am!!!"
Did the wheel fall out? Did I lose a nail? Did my red grapes fall out on the ground? What??
"Yes?" I turned around to see an angry and accusatory very tall white-haired LOUD man say to all my sassiness, "Did you go to your car, unload your dishes and come back with the same empty boxes without paying for them??!!" It wasn't a question, it was a loud mean accusation. (standing in a crowd of people) The whole world look on.
You know...it was one of those moments when the teacher-look and the mom-look merged into an indignant look that said I-will-slap-you-silly-if-you-don't-tone-down-that-tone-right-now-old-man as I gazed up at Mount Accuvius ready to call the yard sale police on little 'ole me. I would never really slap (unless in self-defense) but I have "looks" that could melt anything within 20 feet. Well-cultivated. Do I look like a criminal to you?
"Really?" I said. "Absolutely not!!!" And before I could say another word he backed off with a meek weak little tiny sheepish ok and I went on my way but it wasn't a merry way. I was miffed. And embarrassed. The nerve! He wouldn't know a Queen or a teapot if it smacked him with a crown. He must have worked for the military police in a previous life and came back demoted as a yard sale guard. What a karmic accident to run into me.
I wanted to take my little red wagon and go home, but I turned my attention toward a man-in-blue-jeans teapot in the distance and tried to shake it off. Someone finally saw the crown under my hat and I got an apology but this was no way to start my day. Back to the task at hand...All in all, I had a lot of fun (maskless!) and met some very nice people who chatted with me under a shade tree while we sorted and exchanged dishes. "Oh! are you leaving that one behind? Can I have it?" a lady asked. "Sure. Help yourself." Or "I noticed you were collecting this pattern, do you want these?" Sometimes you'd hear the big crashing sound of someone's box tipping over and breaking all their finds. Everyone would sympathetically and collectively groan in unison while others helped pick up the pieces. Literally.
It was nice to see people being kind to one another (except Mt. Accuvius) and actually helping complete strangers find the patterns they were after. Red stickers meant "cracked" and orange meant "chipped" but not all were damaged or only on the backside. That's OK with me. You could fill up a 12 x 12 x 12 box for ten dollars. That's a lot of cups and saucers, my friends. This year I tended to pick up bigger pieces. My soul was drawn to bright cheerful colors, deep blues and greens. I also found Pyrex, cooking bowls, lampshades, figurines, collectible dolls (!) and Christmas ornaments. I'll show you some of my favorite pieces.
I came home with the peaceful green dishes below, not to sell, but for me. And it was fun to hunt for matching dishes and color patterns to mix and match on the table. I found two Phoenix Bird Nippon Japan plates (see below) some Stangl Pottery and bowls and cups to match my personal collection of Johnson Brothers Devonshire England. Eight boxes and two wagon loads later it was time to take my hat home. I'd caused enough trouble for one day and I had enough inventory for a good long while. It's like Christmas going through the boxes!  |
Why did I put my snacks in the bottom
of the wagon? Banana squished. Water crushed. |
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| peaceful green |
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Cheerful yellow
Buttercup Faire Meadow by Spode
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| Phoenix Bird Japan |
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Stangl Blue pottery. It had a red sticker
but I can't find any damage. Love it! |
The hunt is so much fun! This girl is happy and tired. And for the record, Homer....I can go street cred if I need to!
Goodnight John Boy.It was a good day.
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4 comments:
This sounds like a lot of fun. And the Keeper of the Gate seemed appropriately cowed by your royalty. He may lie awake tonight, cringing. One can only hope.
Ha ha Sherry! There's always a crown under the cap.
It was fun and I had a great day. Thank you for visiting me.
What a wonderful post. I can envision you taking on the gate keeper. Sounds like a lovely day. Love the green dishes. I collect Desert rose. I have my grandmother's dishes. Her signature was always a rose. I am carrying on her tradition.
Pam - It was a moment. I love that you are carrying on your grandmother's china tradition. So important!
Desert Rose is a beautiful pattern.
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