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

Spring Break-down

hey y'all!

can't believe spring break is over. already. hubby goes back to work tomorrow, matt and i are back in the home-school saddle and we all head off into that loooong strrrrrretch till summer break!

anyhow, here's a little recap of my SB, 'cause i know y'all are dying to know what kind of trouble i managed to stir up ... what with all that free time and all. heh heh

monday: my sister got married!!! woohoo!! congrats to you and teddy, dear sis! i served as maid/princess of honor and official photog. i was a bizzzy bee. but i loved every minute. they had a simple, short, sweet ceremony in their church with family and close friends in attendance. oh, and one dog. domino (our shared, joint custody long-haired chihuahua ... technically, belinda has complete custody now but we babysit him occasionally).



belinda surprised us all with limo service for the day! having lived a v. sheltered (and boring) life, it was a brand new experience for me. it was lots of fun except for all the scooting one has to perform when getting in and out of the limo. ack! my poor old bones and well, my, er, lady-like sensibilities rebelled. all i can say is, thank gawd i was wearing pants.



anyway, after the ceremony, the limo took us to sundance square (downtown fort worth) to the lovely restaurant, reata. beautiful, with yummy food!

it was a v. special time for my sister and teddy. i'm soooo happy for both of them. theirs is a sweet, romantic love story which you can read more about at belinda's blog.



tuesday: i honestly can't remember a dang thing. i was exhausted from all the traveling and festivities on monday, that i think i slept most of tuesday ... or rested in bed watching the office reruns. oh! hubby did find a double-yolked egg while cooking his dinner! that is all.



wednesday: bonnie and i (2/3 of the FAGs, the other 1/3 was in new mexico with family for SB) went to gatesville, via a winding out-of-the-way country road. we were in no hurry and besides, we were on The Watch for bluebonnets.

came upon the pearl community, which naturally included a cemetery. i'd never been there but i know of it v. well. my children's grandparents are buried there (their father's parents). we decided to take a looksee around the old graveyard in hopes of finding their graves. no luck.



BUT ... as i was walking back toward the car, i noticed some tiny blue blossoms on top of a grave which was covered in seashells, of all things. i stopped dead (no pun intended) in my tracks. whaaa?! stooping down to get a closer look, i almost couldn't believe it.



"bonnie!! these are baby bluebonnets!"

i quickly snapped some pics (as evidence for yous guys) of the sweet lil bonnets and then left, not quite certain how i felt about my first official sighting of bluebonnets for this season.

on. a. grave. hmmm. one can only hope that isn't a harbinger. you know how i get with signs and all. a little spooky.


found some bling in gatesville at a little shop called, appropriately, debbie's bling bling 'n more

also got this beauty. all jewelry was 1/2 off. so i had to get two pieces!

a killer hatbox, found in a shop on the square

back in cove, we visited sue's booth at crafter's and ohdearlord, did i find some delicious delights there! ahhh. love my sue-fix. always.

sue, your collages make me crazy. how? do? you? do? it????

sweet lil white basket with flowers. too cute!

thursday: another blur of a day. are you seeing a pattern here? one day of activities, one day of recovery. welcome to my world.

friday: hubby and i drove to west, texas which happens to be about the half-way point between fort worth and killeen, to return The Dog to the wedded and blissful, post-honeymooned couple. all were happy to be reunited. hubs and i were happy to get them reunited. heh heh

saturday: bon and i had flirted with yard/estate sale-ing on saturday but honestly, i was worn out from the week and besides, the weather had gone south, so the mission was scrubbed.

however, around noon-ish, cabin fever got the better of me, so i hit craigslist and found two inside sale listings. one a church jumble, the other an estate sale.

got my junkin' mo-jo on ... and off i went, solo, to conquer the world. well, two sales anyhow. first stop, the church jumble. which happened to be held at the first baptist church benefitting the youth's summer mission trip to alaska. now that sounds like a real mission trip (as opposed to baylor).

the church priced this tole tray (!!!) at 50cents. felt like i was stealing from God. yikes! isn't it lovely?! also found some linens, including that turquoise tablecloth on the right

pink basket of lace-and-things ... sweet!

while there, i ran into an old grade school chum, karen. we hadn't seen each other in decades, but what a fun experience to catch up on each others' lives. insane how you can live in the same town as someone for 40+ years and never see them.

these are identical (except for the wear) miniature silver-plated trays. strangely, i found the first one at the church sale and the second one at the estate sale! weird.

second stop was the estate sale out in harker heights. unfortunately, i couldn't stay long because there were smokers (one cigar, one cigarette) in the house and i simply couldn't breathe. ack!! as cool as it looks to smoke, it's not much fun to breathe. just say no, kiddos. heh heh

however, between holding my breath and masking my face with a scarf, i managed to score a few really sweet pieces. total cost: $5 and an increased risk of lung cancer. not bad.

vintage tin of cookie and sandwich cutters. pretty cool at $0.25!

for some odd reason, this is one of my fave pieces of the weekend. an old, old box with roses on it. it has a little drawer that pulls out ...

... and it has letters and other papers inside!! i didn't take the time to go through them at the sale, and i still haven't. but i'm looking forward to sitting down with my newfound treasure to see what i discover.

today's sunday and i'm layin' low. the sun is shining but that horrid wind is still howling like a monkey. or whatever it is that howls. and it's brrrrrrr cold.

damn groundhog.

love and hugs,
terry lee

Estate Sale SNAFU

hey y'all,

not feeling up to a full-blown day of junkin' with my buds, i ventured out saturday morning, solo. mainly i wanted to hit an estate sale in town and then if my foot was behaving, maybe a yard sale or two.

as it happens, it was a gorgeous day, weather-wise for sales. drivin' along ... to an estate sale on a sunny saturday morning ... with a full cup of ice and a loaded tube of blistex. life is good.

then i got lost. in. my. home. town. arghhh. i thought i knew where i was going, but apparently, they moved some streets around without my knowledge or approval (note to self: send disgruntled email to city planner's office with a cc to entire city council and mayor).

thank God for my iphone GPS. i pulled over and typed in the address of estate sale. sure enough, i was in the general vicinity but had to do a little backtracking. no problem. here i go. just follow the blue flashing dot (me and my camry) to the house with the red push-pin sticking in the roof.

technology is amazing, no?

having recovered from my short-lived mis-directional debacle, i arrived (at destination!) with my good humor still intact. the sale was busy so i had to park a couple of houses down. no bother! i took it as a good sign (signs are extremely important to those of us who suffer from {or enjoy} our OCD-ish-ness. example: if i make it up to the front porch before a white truck passes by, then it'll be a good sale ... OR my childhood fave ... if i jump up and down three times and say praise the Lord, i will have a good piano lesson ... never mind that i didn't practice a lick all week).

a quick check in the mirror for facial imperfections (you girls know what i'm talkin' about ... smudged mascara, stray eyelashes), a last minute swipe of my lips with blistex, folding money stuffed into my jeans pocket and i'm finally ready to hit the sale.

the girl, she is excited!!

no sooner than i had stepped through the threshold of the front door, i hear a woman's booming voice: "hey!!! aren't you **** *******'s ex-wife?!"

how lovely. and such a proper way to greet customers at your estate sale. invoking my ex's name and referring to me as his ex-wife does not ... i repeat ... does NOT endear me to people.

trust me on this. having lived in this town for all of my 48 years, i expect to see folks i know (or sort of know) everywhere i go. it's just the way it is. and having been married to the ex for 20-something years and having procreated three children from said marriage, i know it's difficult for some people to separate us in their little ol' minds. i suppose i should be thankful she called me the "ex-wife".

but my point here is this: i'm not somebody's ex-wife. i'm ME. terry lee. never mind that i'm also married to. someone. else!!! if people want to call me ****'s ex-wife in the privacy of their own homes (but really, don't they have anything better to discuss than ME?!), fine. but honest-to-God, i wish they'd stop addressing me as such, to my face.

sheesh. how rude.

my reply to this woman? "guilty as charged."

unfortunately, my response was not off-putting enough, as she proceeded to ask me about the ex's family ... is so and so still married to so and so?! blah blah blah.

i suppose you might think i'm overreacting. and if it only happened a time or two, i would agree. but this happens quite often and believe me, it's enough to make me want to pull up stakes (we live in a circus tent) and skip town.

all of this was upsetting, sure, but as a veteran junker and estate sale connoisseur, i was not going to let this lady deter me from finding a waiting treasure/bargain.

when i finally shed myself of this woman, i could see there were some nifty pieces in this house. was truly hoping for the sewing machine that was advertised, but no, some early bird got that worm. instead, i found a box full of sewing patterns for $1. they're old and i love 'em. will repurpose them (in crafts, etc) since i have neither a sewing machine nor sewing skills.



a fairly large mirror for $3, which i'll paint or decoupage

also found a pink contortionist lamp. i don't know what it's actually called, but it bends and turns all sorts of ways. sadly, the base is missing which is probably why it was only $1 ... and still there. prudently, i plugged her in and sure enough, she worked!

love that it's pink ... hope i can figure out a way to stabilize it.

while in one of the bedrooms, playing with the lamp, the other sales lady came back to check on me. presumably to make sure i wasn't stuffing items down my pants or in my jacket.

however, she opened up with, "i wanted that lamp. i'm an artist ... i paint ... and it would be great in my studio."

"oh really? you're an artist! how wonderful. i wish i could do that."

"you could take lessons, you know! they have classes at the senior citizens' center for people 55 and older."

(surely she's not thinking what i think she's thinking ...)

"ha ha. well, i'm not quite 55," i say, jokingly.

"oh, i bet they'd let you in," she replies. with. a straight. face.

and that was when i decided it was time to get me and my 48 year old arse out of estate sale hell. my emotional trauma meter (ETM) was maxed out. sigh.

one more quick item of interest. matt and i hit a friday estate sale. came away with only one item, but it's a beaut. in fact, my favorite find of the weekend. a personal hand-made collage that was made by the owner of the house (now deceased). i fell in love with it as soon as i laid eyes on it.

it's larger than it appears in this pic. to think of all the hours, thought and love put into this piece ... it's a shame someone in the family didn't want it. sold to me for a mere $2.

i spoke to the adult son, who was running the sale, to get a back story on it. his father and stepmother lived in the san francisco area in the early 70s. she made this collage of bits and pieces, memorabilia from their days in california. it's on canvas and you can spend hours looking at it and still won't see everything.

hand written receipt dated 1971, among other memorabilia

chopsticks still in wrapper, from local restaurant in china town

i like to think she (the collage-maker) realized the juxtaposition here ... "anti-marriage revolution" article under the engagement ring advert.

"your size a problem? it needn't be! just discover the elegant elephant!" what the what?!?!

having been on holiday in san francisco with hubby a few years ago (and loving these types of collages) it had special meaning to me. it wasn't until the next day that i noticed an old postcard from a holiday inn in SF on the collage. i couldn't believe it!! the same hotel (on van ness blvd.) that we stayed in!!

the hotel pictured here is where hubby and i stayed in SF. love the connection!

love and hugs to y'all!
terry lee

tooooo sweet vintage cigarette case with girl and cat on one side ...

... and boy with dog on the other.

gorgeous crocheted pieces, pink and yellow. nice and springy! the lil mirror is very heavy with lovely ornate frame which i'll paint, of course.

My DH

our wedding day kiss ... june 20, 2007
hey y'all,

before any of you start wondering (mainly, my hubby) ... no! i have NOT forgotten to be thankful for my DH. i think that stands for dear hubby. i'm not sure, but in reading other people's blogs, etc. they seem to use DH when they're talkin' about their husbands. and for real, what are the odds of all of their hubbies having the same initials? not. good. so it must stand for dear hubby.

but.

i.

digress.

i was waiting a few days into the week, just to keep him wondering. i know, i'm awful. but i'm sure deep down he knew there'd be a post just. for. him.

well, i yam (heh heh) thankful for my DH. he's a good guy who loves me and takes very good care of me. in fact, if i'm being honest, he downright spoils me rotten.

whenever i was hospitalized, he never left my side. what a trouper! he made sure i had ice for my dry mouth and blistex on my lips when i was too weak to take care of myself. he became a pro at unplugging the IV pump and helping me to the bathroom all through the night. and day.

he hunted (sans rifle!) the nurses when i needed pain medicine and basically became my main advocate as i was fighting for my life. he put action to his vows of "in sickness and in health" and i will always be grateful to him for that.

now, in healthier times, he continues to be the kind of helpmate (and DH) that most women only dream about. he cooks and cleans and dare i say it? does the laundry! oh, and he also works full-time as a 4th grade teacher and is a published author in germany. go ahead, check out the website!

allow me to continue. he goes to walmart and the grocery store for me. he buys and bags my ice (the soft, yummy kind from sonic or bush's), oh, and did i mention that he does the laundry?! all of it! and at the end of the day, he sings to me and massages me most every night.

what girl could ask for anything more?

i'm thankful for my ben and for his love. my dear hubby.

love and hugs,
terry lee

my DH is also a DG (dear grandpa ... i just made that up), with harrison on his first birthday

DH as teacher, in his classroom, playing with the computer's built-in camera (paid for by you and me, the taxpayers)

my army man! Chief Knight, arms akimbo. have been dying to use that word! chief, not akimbo. okay, akimbo. really.

a young, young private benjamin in san francisco circa 1969-70.

unwittingly, i take a picture of ben standing in the exact! same! location! nearly 35 years later! we were both gobsmacked when we found the 1970 picture!

ben, being ben!