Emerson, Hockney, Matisse, and McMurtry

My Saturdays are pretty busy during the school year. It's laundry day, house cleaning day, grocery shopping day, and often yard work day. I get up early, start my laundry, and then slack off for an hour or so to go sailing. It's a bright spot in my week, and very often the highlight of my Saturday. Yesterday morning was pretty nice despite the drizzle (June gloom is upon us here in SoCal), and there were lots of people selling stuff.

I bought a 100% wool Pendleton shirt for my stepson, Phil, and Carol promptly wrapped it around her shoulders to keep from freezing. Nice shirt: $3. And it will look nice on Phil, who always needs clothes and who appreciates absolutely everything you give him.

I found this little metal Emerson sign for $1 and have been dragging it around the house looking for a place for it, but it will probably end up in my garden somewhere. Love, happiness, Emerson, and a nice shade of turquoise...what's not to like, right?

This beautiful red ceramic dish actually got used last night. Made in Italy, and oven-proof, it worked very well for some roasted potatoes with red onions and rosemary. It looked very pretty on the table, too. $5.

Beanies: when they're a quarter a piece I can't pass them up. I'll add them to my classroom stash. My kids have become Beanie snobs! They only choose ones that have their tags attached so that they can check on their "birthdays" and their names. For example, this pig's name is "Squealer" and his birthday is April 23, 1993. Don't ask me why, but they love this information. I have to be more careful when I buy them to make sure they're intact. These two kitties have no tags...an oversight on my part! I also bought (yes, I know) more books for school, but these will probably be part of the "store" that I run on the last day, which is coming up this Thursday. My kids earn "E-tickets" (E for Emery, which is the name of our school, Eagles, our mascot). On the last day I "sell" all kinds of old stuff in exchange for unused E-tickets. It's very fun for them, they get books to take home for the summer, and I get rid of stuff like brand new stuffed animals that my mother-in-law often buys for me. (Don't ask.)

Andy Warhol cat stationery, another little blank sketch book, racy but fun Taschen postcards: these will probably be "sock gifts" (Christmas stockings...big involved tradition in our family). I know a person who will love those postcards.

And finally, more books for me. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is one of my all-time favorite books, and one I am always recommending to people. Nobody has ever actually read it based on my recommendation, but I'm ever hopeful. I'm going to give this one to my friend Debbie. (I guess that means it's not really for me.) Matisse was an easy choice, but the David Hockney book is a real find for $3. I might be his biggest fan. This one is all about his close study of master paintings and drawings and using them to inform his own work. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with it after Thursday, which as I mentioned above, is the last day of school!

Margaritaville

It's June and around here it's kind of like the opening of the season. There were so many sales happening yesterday that we couldn't get to all of them. We picked up a few little goodies and then found something Carol's been searching for: a very nice leather couch. Unfortunately I don't have photos, (don't know how I missed that detail), but suffice to say that it was a screaming deal: a very soft, excellent condition "nutmeg" leather couch originally purchased at Macy's for $2500 for a deftly negotiated $300. We scurried over to Joe's shop to borrow a pick-up (not to mention $200 cash: good old Joe!)) and transported it off to its new home.

I found a lovely and elegant glass margarita pitcher with turquoise blue stripes around the base...really pretty. And then promptly broke it as soon as I walked in the house. Aaarrgh!

I picked up some travel books (London, Ireland, New England, San Francisco, New York!), not that I'm going anywhere, but a person can dream, right? I've got a passport! Also found like-new hardcover books for school, including The Velveteen Rabbit. Remember that one? Also something called Country Ways and Wisdom because it was pretty and looked interesting.

I'm not sure why I bought these little shell-topped glass bottles, but I do have a thing for seashells and they're kind of pretty (and of course, cheap: $1 each).

I found some brand new chili-pepper lights (actually "Luces en Forma de Chile") for $5 ...thinking of my brother, who is a big chili pepper fan. But then I found the margarita pitcher and thought, "Maybe we'll have a margarita party! Complete with chili pepper lights!" Then, as I said, I broke the pitcher.

Also found a little black and white Parisian dish...cute in the black and white room. $1.

Finally, my little sign..."Margaritaville". I saw this sign and said to myself, "That looks like my friend Nikki's work. Sure enough, I picked it up and there was her little sticker on the back. Nikki's children were in my kindergarten and first-grade classes about 13 years ago and we've been friends ever since our first parent-teacher conference. Nik said, "I know Natasha is fine. Let's talk about this diamond ring." (I was newly married to Joe back then.) She is a great fine artist, but has also been creatively crafty for years. Some of my favorite Christmas items were made by Nikki. So I happily paid $3 for the little Margaritaville sign...too bad I broke the pitcher to go with it.

Fortunately, you don't need a lovely pitcher to enjoy a margarita. Summer's coming! Margaritas and time to actually read some of these books I'm always buying!