Buried Treasure

This Labor Day weekend, Pascal and I settled on a little antique hunting as our recreation. We set a modest budget and chose our venues - a spot we've been to a few times before and a new place, only open on Saturdays, that was recently recommended by a friend. We generally stay away from the clean, beautifully merchandised (and expensive) antique dealers, preferring to rough it in grimy, cluttered spots where only the bravest, most dedicated salvage hunters dare go. On Friday afternoon, we hit our regular haunt, a veritable junkyard off of a rural highway. Since our last visit one of the walls has caved in, but the toothless gent who runs the joint (and seems to rarely run his shower) was still sitting in his usual spot, lording it over his kingdom. We braved puddles of water, spiders, ants, mud and grime to pick through his stuff, much of it now water-logged thanks to his new "skylight".  We unearthed a few cool items buried in the mess, but left in dire need of our own showers. 

That didn't stop us from venturing out on the following hot and humid morning to find a warehouse (no address, just directions) filled to the rafters with cool stuff. It's a claustrophobic's nightmare and an antique hunters' dream! We carefully side-stepped our way down the aisles (they're too narrow to navigate facing forward), sometimes having to reverse directions to find our way out of the crazy maze. It was overwhelming, but mostly in a good way. 

In the shelter magazines, the editors often send contributors out to flea markets and antique fairs, later creating a photo spread paired with a financial accounting of the treasures they found. I thought it would be fun to share our own version:

Budget $40

Vintage Daisy Pin:  $8 
Can't wait to wear this with the cool Beverly Feldman shoes I bought for a steal on ebay.com this summer; they're brown wedge heels with turquoise beading that matches this pin!


Trio of Angels:  $2
I love their expressions and their poses; they'll be a great addition to our holiday décor!


"French" Scene Cookie Tin:  $15
This antique Sunshine Biscuit tin was produced in 1970. It's doubly cool with two different painted scenes of Montmartre (Pascal's old neighborhood in Paris) by the French painter Maurice Utrillo. The front is a year-round scene; the back features a snowy holiday painting of Sacré Coeur church.


Vintage Pig:  $10
Pascal couldn't resist this iron cast piggy bank for his pig collection. 

As if these treats weren't exciting enough, as a bonus we came in $2 dollars under our budget! Was it worth the two spider bites, the near-heat stroke, and a bad case of the heebie-jeebies? You betcha bottom dollar, or in this case, two!

A La Shopping Cart

I love to imagine people's kitchens, their menus, and their lives whenever I go to the grocery store. As these strangers place items on the checkout conveyor belt, my imagination runs wild. I'm always amused by particularly clichéd or highly unusual combinations like the guy with the Hungry Man frozen dinner and a six-pack of beer or the girl who stood in line with a bottle of Drano, a can of ant spray and a pint of ice cream. Poor thing! In my mind, she'd just moved into a new apartment riddled with problems, and she needed a little ice cream pick-me-up to lift her spirits. So, I was both intrigued and delighted when I went to the store the other day and found this grocery list on a standard index card paper-clipped to the cart:

Phyllis (presumably, so she wouldn't forget that it was her list)

Neat-O Pho-Tos!

Dancing With Our New Tenants

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a humming bird who had taken up residence in our garden. He must have been a shy little fellow (or perhaps his mission as a messenger was complete!) because as soon as I wrote about him, he disappeared. I now have two new tenants dancing outside my office window - butterflies! A yellow one and an orange one with beautiful brown and white painted spots. Coincidence? Perhaps not.

Butterflies are considered symbols of the spirit and the soul. In fact, 'psyche' is the Greek word for both 'soul' and 'butterfly'. In many cultures, butterflies symbolize transformation - rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time. They are a reminder to make changes when the opportunity arises. They also prompt us to approach life with a sense of lightness and joy; to get up and move; to flit and dance around as they do. And in Eastern cultures, a butterfly symbolizes a woman's delicacy; she should be treated with kindness and gentleness. Yes, indeed. It looks like my beautiful new tenants are inviting me to dance.




I wanted to share a photo that resembled these two colorful creatures, but I couldn't find one that did justice to their beauty. But for me, this drawing by Elizabeth Perry captures their essence. It's from the Museum Drawing Project; each day for nine months, Elizabeth visited the public spaces of museums in Pittsburgh, drawing something in a small sketchbook as her response to each experience "du jour". Talk about a brilliant way to get out of your cocoon! These days, you can enjoy fresh sketches from her own personal "garden", a daily sketch-blog she calls Woolgathering.

Got a Latte Time on Your Hands?

Last week, I learned about latte art from one of my favorite blogs, neatorama.com. Apparently there are talented artists out there who can create works of art in your cappuccino. Using foamed milk, caramel and chocolate sauce, they draw amazing free-hand creations. Search for "latte art" on youtube.com, and you'll get more than 1500 video results!

Now, a really smart guy has invented a latte printer. The printer uses caramel-colored edible ink to print graphics right on your morning cup of Joe. I think it's a brilliant idea that will surely make him rich. The fledgling company’s site, onlatte.com, even directs you to an early blog post that tells you how to make your own latte printer. In addition to a flatbed plotter, a GPIB card, and a 12V replay (they lost me at flatbed plotter!), it looks like you'll also need a latte time on your hands. I think I'll wait until I can buy an On Latte Printer in stores. Meanwhile, I look forward to learning how to draw a few basic latte designs by hand; talk about a fun party trick!

Literary Castaway

Will My Husband Ever Be a "Very Happy Man"?

Pascal's favorite movie is a French film entitled Alexandre le Bienheureux (Alexandre, The Very Happy Man). It's about a hen-pecked, over-worked husband whose life takes a turn for the better when his nagging wife and her dour parents are all simultaneously killed in a car crash. At last, Alexandre will be left in peace!

His first act as a widower is to set all of the farm animals free. Then, in a stroke of ingenious laziness, Alexander designs a system of pulleys over his bed so that he can remain there "forever". True to his intention, Alexander stays in bed for weeks, 24/7: sleeping; eating cheese, bread and sausage; drinking wine; and playing his tuba. His little dog takes care of the shopping, trotting between the farm and the village market with a basket in this mouth to carry the provisions he "buys" from the local shopkeepers. The other village men folk become insanely jealous until a woman woos Alexandre out of bed and back to the altar. But Alexandre quickly "returns to his senses"; the movie ends shortly after he flees the church as a runaway groom.

Now as his wife, I suppose I should be highly insulted that this film brings him such delight. But, I don't really mind. In fact, I have this secret plan of one day finding a team of workers to create his own temporary over-the-bed pulley system for sausage, cheese, and wine. I'll present it to him as a surprise gift and leave him to a long weekend of being "bienheureux". As for me, I'll play the role of the little dog and head off on an extended shopping spree. The way I see it, we'll both be very happy indeed.