What a Doll!

If I were to sweep up the remnants of my week into a pile, the debris would comprise a colorful mélange, full of odd toddies and beastly bits. Consider this week’s entry as my dustpan and let’s have a sort, shall we?

As my week unfolded, it did not lay dormant as the remains do now like a deflated rainbow but took up full residency and demanded attention. Nothing and everything was pressing. Probably the first thing on my mind is that today, September 22, is the first day of autumn (happy equinox!). It is also the third year since my dear friend Christine La Bean died and I miss her.

In other news, one friend moved to Albuquerque on Saturday for a new job (good luck!) and we were informed that two others have cancer; one with stomach and the other lymph although we were told “nymph.” Admittedly, it is shocking news, but the punch to the gut was momentarily delayed by our minds trying to process that our friend had nymph cancer. Oh the blessing and curse of possessing a dark sense of humor.

While we have expressed our love and support to them privately, we’ll not turn down any prayers, blessings or positive thoughts on their behalf you might have to spare. Thank you.

Okay, enough of the sadness. There are happy occasions, too. After a year and a half of toying with the idea, Groom and I finally made the leap and purchased an Internet phone. I’m not usually a gadgety-girl, but whoa, it’s a mini computer and I think I’m in love.

Groom is usually the technofile as I’m more interested in what other people enjoy reading and watching and eating as consumption appetites are windows to compatibility. You may not care a single whit what we’re temporarily infatuated by, but that won’t stop me from telling you.

Currently, I’m reading Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility while Groom concludes an Alan Gordon medieval mystery. Pausing in the general vicinity of the Middle Ages, we were both googly-eyed over Pillars of the Earth, the book and the recent Starz Original mini-series.

And while the language in Deadwood has the power to curl the hair on a bald head, the story line set in Dakota Territory along with brilliant acting bring the 1870’s, Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and many other notable characters back to life.

God’s Minion turned us on to Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley this week. Following her suggestion, we found it on audible.com and are listening to the downloaded book while making jewelry. In order to design any, we made a trip to Salem last Thursday where a friend introduced us to a gentleman who bids on storage units for a living, so we rummaged around for potential upcycling and repurposing materials.

We played hooky from the Eugene Saturday Market, preferring to stay indoors and work instead of braving the rain. As long-timers, we’ve put in many a shivering day and it feels incredibly luxurious to have a choice in the matter.

Sunday was the semi-annual stamp show at the Masonic Lodge (March and September), and after rooting around for cool postage stamps we jetted over to the Fairgrounds for opening day of the Piccadilly Flea Market. Yep, you guessed it, coffee in one hand, camera in the other, our eyes in training for photo ops and cool jewelry parts.

From there, we hooked up with out-of-town friends and enjoyed Japanese, Italian and Salvadorian cuisine over the course of their visit.

I warned you the dustbin is full of this and that.

Now I’m turning to the topic of quotes. I adore and collect quotes because The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. – Mark Twain

A friend sent me a card a few days ago that says, Charm is the ability to make someone else think that both of you are pretty wonderful. – Kathleen Winsor

While we take photographs of whatever happens to grab our attention in the moment, over time we’ve shot enough images to present certain themes. Apparently our cameras gravitate toward dolls on occasion.

When applicable, we’ve tried to match a quote with a photo, but don’t strain yourself trying to figure it out, keeping in mind it’s a dustpan week.

Here are a couple more I really like.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance. – Oscar Wilde

Thanks for sorting through my dustpan with me. Perhaps next week, I’ll clean out the refrigerator…

Treasure Hunting

A friend sent me an inspirational card this week and enclosed two flat glass stones with the words “strength” and “passion” etched onto them. Which is perfect since we are combining two passions this week, photography and yard sales. Both offer the thrill of the hunt.

We’re not ones to limit ourselves to yard sales, though. Garage sales are good, too, as are flea markets, estate sales, rummage sales, thrift shops, antique stores and bazaars. There’s so much fun stuff to look at and instead of feeling the impulse to buy, we get a contact high just by clicking the shutter and saving the funky junque for posterity.

Well, that’s mostly true. The other day while in Corvallis, I escaped the booth with my trusty Canon and iPod, the white earbuds affording me some personal space and groovy tunes while I took a walk. In other words, I was by myself.

Uh-oh.

I stumbled across a yard sale. No, bigger than that - a Church fund-raiser. Hallelujah, shopping for Jesus! When I finally made it back to the booth, I told Groom I needed a Hamilton (I must be related to the Queen of E. as I rarely carry cash), because I just bought a box of stuff from a yard sale.

He thought I was joking.

When I came back a bit later hefting the box he just shook his head. “But look,” I said, “a tin box I can collage for only ten cents. Ooh, and here’s a hanky that’s genuine linen from Ireland.” I pointed to the tiny oval gold sticker with black lettering on the back that said, “Genuine Irish Linen.”

“If you say, so dear.”

“I also bought some Christmas presents,” I justified and proceeded to show him the cool hand-carved wooden mug for our nephew’s Tiki room.”

But mostly we just enjoy taking photos at yard sales.

It seems I say this every week, but I’m still surprised when our eye is drawn to something similar, but we see it in such a different way. Groom noticed a box of dolls and the macabre collection of heads, body parts, and shivering figurines in bathtubs hit a particular tone. He captured it and the photo deserves a click of your mouse to enlarge for full appreciation.

Their expressions haunt me. Did you take note of the Kewpie doll in the lower left-hand corner? Yikes, looks like dried blood on its skull.

Speaking of skulls, while Groom went for the big picture, I zeroed in on a detail, focusing on this doll’s cracked one.

This next one, well, I don’t want to meet the person who needs these delicately painted jars. Boric acid and nipples? What kind of freak collector is that? Good thing we ran across this timely playscript, Calm Yourself. Could come in handy.

One of the things I adore about yard sales is that you never know what you’re going to discover. At this particular one, two children accosted me. By “accosted,” I mean they both ran over to me, grabbed my legs and begged to take a picture.

I looked at my new toy and then at their faces and how could I say no? I gingerly placed the camera around the boy’s neck first, keeping a tight grasp on it. The camera, not his neck. He was all wiggly with excitement wanting to push every button willy-nilly. Speaking calmly, I diverted his attention to the scene around him and asked what he noticed and what did he want to take a picture of?

He pointed to his sister. Aaaaah. So the little boy took a portrait of his sister and then it was her turn. She wanted to do the same thing, so here are the pictures they took of each other.

Sometimes a surplus of vegetables are on offer, so Groom baked a delicious loaf of zucchini bread with this squash.

The last photo is one we should call “Full Circle.” Imagine our surprise when what should we discover but one of our own stamp pins for sale by somebody else? It’s the one in the very back row, far left. As the story goes, one of our customers passed away and the pin ended up in her estate sale.

Oh well, you can’t take it with you.