Junkin' Heaven ... and Hell

hey y'all,

my junkin' weekend started on friday, when i met pal bonnie for a little barnstorming (raiding the goodwill bargain barn) in cove. picked up three vintage suitcases, in graduating sizes ... the largest $1, the smaller ones $0.75 each. score!!!



if i had any sense, i'd paint them or decoupage something clever and creative on them. lately, my creative muse has been on strike and i never know when she'll rear her pretty head to inspire me. so i wait ...

also found that sweet lil pink braided rug ... in pic above (which is in need of some cleaning and disinfection ... just sayin') for all of $0.75 ... and some adorable pink checked curtain panels (another $0.75). three to be exact. searched and searched for the fourth panel, to no avail. sweet material that can be used for anything.



thrilled with my finds, bon and i headed to sonic for a quick snack break. then we were off to sue's. well, that's what we call it. sure, it's a crafter's mall full of vendors, but we mainly go there for vintagesue's stuff. i am thrilled that she's shipping her creations down to texas now. we mourned her loss when the dang army took her away.

don't misconstrue, i'm all for the army, in theory. just don't like it when they take away my friends.

but i digress.

so we hightailed it to sue's booth and we were not disappointed!! lots and lots of pretties galore ... vintage linens, dresses, aprons, knick knacks and the like. and best of all, her creations!





lil pin she made

i. am. totally. spellbound. by. her. collages!!!! i started a pile on a nearby table of the ones i wanted, thinking that i'd make my final decisions later.





yeah, right. my final decision was that i needed all of them. wanted, yes. but i neeeeeeeeded them too!! when i'm under her magical spell, i'm totally helpless and out. of. control.





so what? life is short. they made me happy and will continue to do so as i enjoy them around my house, or give them as gifts. happy happy happy.

friday, as it happens, was definitely junkin' heaven.

then saturday rolled around. i had high hopes for the lampasas city-wide yard sale, since lady luck was good to me at last years' sale. i met pal jannetta and we meandered our way around the square.



first thing i noticed was that it wasn't as large as last year.

the second thing i noticed was that many of the vendors who were there, were dealer-types. meaning, higher priced items ... not true "yard sale" vendors OR prices. hmmmph. not what i was expecting ... since the sale was hawked as a "city-wide YARD sale".

okay, so i didn't have to buy anything. i was more than pleased with my friday treasures, so if today was a bust, so be it.



however, i quickly stumbled upon a sweet lil vintage child's chair with chippy pink and green paint, marked at $7 which i thought was v. reasonable. i offered $5, we settled on $6. a quick, pleasant and civil transaction. i was thrilled to have it.



somewhere along the way, i had the pleasure of meeting buddy (miniature terrier) and sassy (jack russell mixed with something else blah blah). they were meeting for the first time also. cute, yes?



later, i found this pretty little vase thingy for $0.25. so there were some bargains to be found. just not a lot of 'em.



moving on, i spotted a pink, plastic, round hat box with a black flower on it. a-dor-able. but it was scuffed and dirty and i was thinking $0.50. when i asked the cowgirl vendor how much, she replied with an extremely curt, "2 bucks!"

okay, this chick's got something up her arse, was my first thought. dare i rattle her cage?

yes! i do dare!

"would you take a dollar?" i asked, shoving whatever it was up a little farther.

"NO. I WILL NOT!" cowgirl growled back at me.

ouch. i just smiled and said okay, thanks as i walked away from her booth. of course, all manner of vengeance was playing out in my wicked head ... none of which i can share with you, lest your high opinion of me be shattered. heh heh

much later, i sent jannetta over (she wasn't with me when all this transpired) to the cowgirl's booth to ask about the hat box. not surprisingly, she was just as rude to jannetta. and she hadn't budged on her price either.

it was our sincere hope that cowgirl went home with her stupid hat box and they live happily ever after together.

let me be clear about something: the b!tch had every right to price her items just. how. she. wanted. it wasn't her pricing that irritated me. it was her stinkin' attitude and how she spoke to her customers.

and this customer won't soon forget. not cowgirl's face, her name or her bright-orange painted toenails. i'll see you next year, sister. same time, same place. courthouse square, lampasas, texas. junkin' hell.

love and hugs to y'all!

terry lee

lampasas is full of ... livestock.

and bluebonnets!! found sooo many gorgeous fields of 'em!

remember him? the obligatory deer head you see at most texas sales ...

Bluebonnets on My Mind

hey y'all,

yesterday afternoon i ventured out by myself for a little P&Q (peace and quiet), in hopes of finding The Perfect Field of Bluebonnets.

not sure if i found it or not, but maybe something close:

a sea of blue!

each year around my birthday i make a special trip (usually to the gorgeous texas hill country) in search of bluebonnets. i didn't get that accomplished this year, so i sliced out a couple of hours yesterday for myself ... and used them wisely.

with chick fil-a (#5 combo meal, diet dr. pepper) in the seat next to me, i rolled onto a country backroad, toward salado. no, that's not the hill country (for those texans who know the area). i didn't have the luxury of a full day get-away. but there are plenty of fields and hills and valleys ... countryside ... where i'd likely find just what i was looking for.

without waxing too philosophical or sentimental or even maudlin, bluebonnets are very special to me. sure, you'd expect a native texas gal to say something like that.

but there's more to it. something that i've never quite been able to explain. each year i feel the need, not just the desire, to go and see the bluebonnets. maybe it's because they're blooming, in all their glory, on my birthday each year ... that i feel a connection to them.



but it goes deeper than that because i never quite feel satisfied, emotionally, until i've schlepped out into a field full of bluebonnets (and chiggers), breathed in that wonderful bonnet-scented country air as deep as i can ... and taken as many pictures as my heart desires. i guess i'm trying to capture the elusive beauties (in photos and in my soul) because i know all too well that soon, they'll be gone.

until next year, that is.

some years it's quite the production, trekking out to the hill country and making a day of it. or staying overnight in a charming town such as fredericksburg. other years, i'm lucky to spy the beautiful blue creatures along the busy highway as i traipse back and forth to doctor appointments.

so anytime i can actually take a drive, with the single purpose of bluebonnet spotting and photo-taking, i'm grateful.

grateful. but forgetful.

was cruising along the curvy backroad, almost to the scary loooong Narrow Bridge over stillhouse lake when i suddenly realized ... I ... DO ... NOT ... HAVE ... MY ... CAMERA!!!!

can you say CRAP?! i did. okay, i might've said something else. just maybe.

well, first things first. i had to navigate that damn Narrow Bridge. when i say narrow, i mean NAAAAAARRRRROOOWWW. it's a long two-laner with no shoulders and it's high above the lake. ack!! just perfect for someone like me: claustrophobic, agoraphobic, acrophobic, aquaphobic ... and i can't swim! i think that about covers it.

okay, at the last minute, i googled an image for you. this is THE actual bridge. can't believe i found a pic of it! see what i mean?!

so i white-knuckled it across the bridge (thank GOD i didn't meet anyone so i could drive right down the middle stripe, thereby protecting myself from falling off either side).

calm down, terry lee. you made it across the bridge. and you DO have your iphone camera ... i told myself.

yeah, but the iphone camera quality stinks, i retorted.

well, you're this far out here, just make the best of it, crybaby (was really getting annoyed with my smartass self by then).

so, i apologize for the quality of the photos. i may have to take another bluebonnet trip with the real camera. we'll see. but for now, here are the best ones. i'm no professional photographer, but it's almost impossible to screw up a bluebonnet. almost, i said.

enjoy!

love and hugs,
terry lee

this is one of my favorite shots. love that rough old tree trunk juxtaposed with the blue beauties.



see how it looks like solid blue grass or water back against the fence line? looooove it!!

this is the direct result of going on the hunt for bluebonnets solo.

another favorite, i think. love getting bluebonnets with old fences.

yes, i realize this is a horse, of course. but as i was driving along, i couldn't help but stop when i saw him. v. pretty, eh? there are a few bluebonnets near him, but they're difficult to see.





sweet mix of bluebonnets with white thingies. love the church as a backdrop ... sorry 'bout that ugly pole right in the center!