Saturday

I had a nice weekend.

Saturday morning, I woke bright and early

to a cold, rainy day. 

I met up with 2 of my best buds 

at 7 in the a.m.

and we headed out

for a day of antiquing.

There were 
3 juried antique shows

in our area.

Three!!... that is a lot.

There was excellent merchandise.

One of the shows was equivalent

to Nashville's Heart of Country.

Super cool stuff, and super pricey too.

It focused on early primitives.

It was stuff you don't see often.

I sold primitive furniture

when I had my shop.

I like a more eclectic mix
in my accessories.
Smalls, is what we as dealers, called them.
I prefer a mix
of vintage and antique
for my smalls.
A little farm, a little grandma,
and a whole lotta primitive.
I love when something was 
so favorite and loved
that it was well-used.
Pristine is not for me.
The other two shows had more variety.

Both my friends have been dealers too,

so we have an abundance.

We each collect, and

we each have traded up 

over the years 

to better quality stuff.
Older and more rare stuff.

We don't need much.

If it makes our heart flutter,

and then we know it is ours.

We each found a bit.

I picked up 2 hooked rugs

 I collect hooked rugs.
I use them on tables,
the floor, or on walls.
I change them with the seasons.
This one was so colorful,
it called my name.
 The dog one was perfect
for one of the guest rooms.
I have a vintage dog collection.
It is on the wall for now,
but I am not sure it is staying there. 

I also found a sign for 

my farmer's bathroom.
He has cattle and
is frequently
building or repairing fences.

He said "I wish steel posts were $1.38"
I guess they are about $6 now. 

I picked up a "Spring Chick".
I attached her a wreath I already owned.
I am not much of a craft buyer,
but she was too funny.
She has my body!

I hugged and visited 
with some old friends.
I miss doing the antique shows.
The work to shop, 
fix and clean merchandise
for a new load each month
was so time consuming.
I couldn't do that
and keep my grand kids.

I made the right choice.
I miss the people though.
The other dealers became friends.
I wish I would have had more time
to visit and catch up.
I wasn't melancholy
about not having a booth
when I thought about
loading it all up in the cold rain 
at the end of the day.
I got a hot coffee, drove home,
and went to dinner with family.
Silver linings baby, for sure!

.