Sunday, May 30, 2010

Memorial Mayhem, Estate Sale Ecstasy



hey y'all,

as i sit here at my computer, thinking on all that's happened in the past few days, i realize a couple of things.

1. there's no way i could include everything because the blog would be too long.

2. you probably wouldn't believe it anyhow.

and that's what kind of long holiday weekend i've had.

but lemme give it a go, touching on the high points (or low ones, as the case may be).

chronologically speaking, i'm going backwards. mainly because i want to share the most recent (and unfortunate) incident that happened to bonnie and me ... to get it off my chest. well, my proverbial chest.

we went to see sex and the city 2 sunday afternoon ... which was very good, imho. don't listen to the critics.

so we were in the parking lot after the movie, chatting next to my car. the space next to mine was empty and i noticed a vehicle wanting to pull into it. i quickly shut my car door (which i had opened so i could put my purse inside the car) and got out of their way.

the driver aggressively swerved into the space and in the process, drove over the white line, coming within a hair's breadth of our legs. i screamed, thinking we both were about to be hit by this car.

when the driver and her two passengers got out the car, i was so stunned i said to her "you nearly hit us!"

well! that was all she needed. she lit into us, using all manner of foul, abusive language ... calling us names ("bitch, ho" ... and other sundry pleasantries), threatening violence if we "opened our mouths again", etc. after she and her entourage went into the theater, i took a picture of her license plate and car. then i called the police.

i've already checked. it's not easy for the average joe to run a license check in the state of texas. apparently the websites that offer this service are disreputable. however, if any of yous guys know someone who knows someone ... heh heh


we were v. shaken by this incident and i'm not sure what, if anything the police will do about it. but at least he gathered information and made a report. i'm thinking it should be against the law to nearly run someone down with your car. and i'm also thinking that it's against the law to threaten physical violence against a person, yes??

sheesh.

there we were. two middle-aged ladies out on a sunday afternoon for a chick flick ... minding our own damn business, when all hell breaks loose in the theater parking lot. a word to the wise: you're not safe anywhere. it's a wild and crazy world out there, folks.

sure makes me want to enroll in the concealed handgun class we have here in texas. can y'all just imagine terry lee packing heat?! don't mess with me or my peeps. argghh.

previously, on saturday, bon and i found two v. cool estate sales. at the first one, i ran into a sweet gentleman and his wife, who were close friends with my parents when they were all young newlyweds. he looked at me and said, "are you B.T.'s daughter?"

"yes, i am!" i replied.

claytonANDnell ... that's how i remember mama saying it. as one name. he's clayton, she's nell. :-)


without any prompting, he began telling me story after story about my parents back in the 50's and 60s.

"in 1957, B.T. bought himself a brand new '57 chevy. it was aqua and white and boy did he love that car!"

this was taken in 1963, and i think that's the '57 chevy in the background. i'm not a car person, so please, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. btw, that's 2 year old me, easter of '63 with my daddy.


we stood there for a good half hour while he told me about mom and dad and things they all used to do together ... how funny they were and the stories my daddy used to tell. i was in heaven. there aren't many folks around that still remember my parents ... or who were that close to them. what a treat that was! i plan to visit them in the future (with a notebook and pen) to tap into more of their memories.

my purchases ... a vintage tin FULL of buttons and a sewing box filled with old sewing notions. fun fun fun!! grand total: $3


the next estate sale was larger and quite interesting. the house was built in 1966 ... and as blake, the son-in-law of the deceased told us, that's when his in-laws moved in, decorated the house according to current styles ... and never changed a thing.

don't believe me? check this out. when i walked into the front, formal living area, i thought i'd walked onto the set of madmen. or bewitched. or i dream of jeannie.







yes, it was all for sale. true vintage, mint condition 60's furniture. if i'd had room in my house i would've bought it. love love love that turquoise color. we didn't want to leave that room!

the den was much less formal, but still mid-century-ish. i was having my usual bout of junkin' hot flashes, so i decided to take advantage of the ceiling fan and sat my vintage arse down in one of the chairs for a rest.

i took out a kleenex and began blotting away at my perspiring face. allow me, at this point, to say that my right eye continues to be problematic ... it weeps constantly. so i also had to dab at my eye for a while.

as i was wiping my drippy eye, a woman walks close to me in order to see the items on the bookshelf behind my chair.

"i'm sorry, do i need to move for you?" i politely ask.

"oh no, you're fine dear."

and then adds ... "this must be very difficult for you."

i looked up at her (quizzically) and instantly recognized sympathy in her eyes. oh.my.gawd. she thinks i'm crying. she thinks i'm a family member of the deceased.

well, the bad girl in me desperately wanted to play along with her fantasy. under normal circumstances, i would have. but for some insane reason, i got the worst case of giggles i've had in a loooong time. i glanced over at bonnie, who btw, was just waiting and watching for my response and that's when i lost it.



like the perfect idiot i am, i finally choked out, "no, no. i'm a customer just like you. it's just allergies." then i turned my head away from her and buried my face in the kleenex because the giggles became so violent, my entire body was shaking. if you didn't know better, you'd think i was sobbing with grief.

whew.

later, when blake had a break between customers, he'd come in and chat with us. i always enjoy learning about the people who lived in these estate sale houses, especially if i'm buying something. i want to know a little about who they were, what they did, what they liked. it's the history that's important to me when it comes to collecting vintage pieces.



his in-laws met on july 4, 1946 at the bell county independence day festivities. they were married 3 weeks later. he passed away in 2008 and she is currently in a nursing home.

we were reveling in the sweetness of their long-lasting marriage (sometimes love and marriages DO last) when another customer, who had overheard this story, butted in with, "and sometimes people stay married for health benefits and income reasons or for the children."

ouch. so much for love and warm fuzzies.

"umm, do i detect a cynic in the house?" i said to no one in particular. yeah, yeah, i know. it takes one to know one.

that's when she and her grown daughter started sharing personal details of their sorry-ass, no account former/late husband/father, respectively. that's respectively, not respectfully. i was sorry for these women, truly i was. but they almost seemed proud of their stories. and let's not forget that we. were. perfect. strangers (emphasis on the perfect. heh heh ).



perhaps a bit o' counseling/therapy is in order? i'm just sayin' ...

speaking of therapy, i really needed this baby doll i found there! isn't she the best?! well, she could only be better if she had blonde hair. but i love her still. soooo sweet!

sorry about the string around her neck. forgot to take off her $2 price tag before i took the pic!


yes! her eyes close when you lay her down. it belonged to one of the daughters in this family.


also found a grrreat lamp for my office! really needed some light. my chandie just doesn't put out much. blake sold it to me for $6. love how you can move the angles of the three lights.



continuing on, backwards, on friday bon and i went out to lampasas, where fellow FAG and dear friend jannetta was hosting a garage sale with her sisters. she's been busy with family as of late, so we haven't seen much of her. you are missed, girl!! can't wait till we're all three back in the junkin' saddle again. together!



so long, farewell to the month of may. the bluebonnets have faded and summer's heat has already arrived. time to hit the indoor sales!

love and hugs,
terry lee

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved this post, Terry Lee! First, you HAVE to explain the Texas pumps in the first picture! Yes, I realize they aren't the Texas flag, but I sure would call them that if they were mine! Second, what a crazy lunatic in the parking lot! Just LET her drive that crazy car up to Dallas, we will give her the "what for" in your name!! :) Oh, and my dear, you must just be a friendly face in person just like the kind heart that I know online - for all those estate sale people telling you their life stories - that says a lot about what a good person you are, that they can feel that comfy talking to you!

Dana said...

Terry Lee, first of all, I HATE what that person did to you and Bonnie. What goes around comes around and people just suck sometimes!! Sorry you had to go through it.
Now, how fun it must've been to go through the '60s house, but even more fun was to have heard the stories about your parents! How neat is that? I hope you have a great week!

Mollye said...

Me too what about the pumps!!!!!!!!!! Oh girl that womans just got to pay for her rude, vile and totally out of line behavior. Keep trying to track her down. Loved that you got to meet your folks friends with all the great stories. Now that was a blessing for the weekend.

Tara said...

WOW. I am so sorry that woman talked to you that way! I wish I was there...but actually, you would have handled it better than me anyway. I probably would have tried to hug her and invite her to church next Sunday. Haha. No I have some gumption in me...somewhere!

The couple that knew Mama and Papa looked so sweet. Just seeing their picture made me feel a bit sentimental...aww. I'm glad you got to see them and hear their sweet memories.

What was the lady's reaction to you laughing hysterically after her sympathy for you? "lol" wish I was there to see that!

Well I love you Mom, and I'll see you before I go tomorrow. Gotta go pack for the beach now! :-)

Anonymous said...

I BOUGHT THE LIVING ROOM SET!!!! I can't believe you have pictures from the sale!
It's a dream come true for us. I have ALWAYS wanted something that amazing, here's my blog, yours won't let me sign in with the wordpress thingy http://txfamilyandersons.wordpress.com/
The furniture is three posts from the top.
Beth Marie

Anonymous said...

http://www.platewire.com/location/?Texas This may be a but of fun.

Jamie said...

Oh my goodness, she must be a real happy person. Actually I can think of several words to describe her but TT can read and he's sitting next to me. ;)
The estate sales sound like fun, how cool is it that you met some former friends of your parents!
Take care of that eye! Have a great weekend!

Terry said...

Howdy
WOW I love those shoes !!!!!!
The furniture was so amazing .
Thank you for the grand adventure .
I had the best time .
Looking forward to many more fun times and perhaps actually meeting up in person :)
Thank you so very much
for dropping by my blog.
I needed a friendly note .
We all do now and then .
It is so sad that the parking lot thing happened .
I have been here almost three years and I have not gotten use to all the rude ,crude, loosers that run rampant getting away with terror .
My first encounter was a drunken illegal who broadsided me in a parking lot and the police could do nothing .
I made a huge fuss and filed several reports .
Our insurance company looked into the matter and the illegal was not only drunk but driving a stolen vehicle .
Killeen is one unique place to live but I think it is just the sad state of society .
Anyhoo I can't wait to hear more awesome stories about your parents from ClaytonandNell :)
Take care and have a very blessed summer !
Big hugs
Until next time
Happy Trails

Terry said...

Howdy
Thank you so very much for shopping in my booth at Paplys !
Hugs with blessings

Yvette said...

Hi Terry! Very nice to have met you Saturday at Paplys! ;) I LOVE the chair/ottoman set from the estate sale!

Cow Palace said...

Whoa, girl. You need a bodyguard! Your stories always make me laugh. I'm sure they weren't funny when they were happening, but you have a gift in telling them that finds the humor. Hope that eye clears up soon!

Jamie said...

Terry Lee...where are you? You doing okay?