Today...after I helped a 7th grade class sew cute little draw string bags...I ran like the dickens to my van in a horrible rain storm...which made me sad (because ski season is drawing to a cruddy close...) and as I was driving through my little bitty "nothing-of-a-town" (not my definition...)....I passed our local Antique Mall. The Antique Mall is frighteningly "antique" itself and it smells (not joking here!) like the barn my Daddy used to house tobacco in - I love it. It makes me smile and tear up and walk around aimlessly - as if I don't have enough JUNK in my house already. Somehow, though, other people's junk is fascinating! I am sometimes just cracking up at the high level of awfulness that is for sale....I just had a thought...I should have taken a picture of the "Galloping horses" picture that I saw today....it had waves of light behind it and extremely scary mad horse sounds coming out of it. Heavens...I thought the mall (and I use that term loosely!) was haunted and I was about to be run over by horsey apparitions! I could hear the angry and snorty neighing - then I saw the light wave, galloping picture and I laughed out loud! And...I drew unnecessary attention to myself. I didn't buy the picture (surprise!) but I thought it would be a terrific gag gift! I think I may go back tomorrow and take a picture...I hate it that you can't see it right now.
Is that MY dress??
So, as I was walking around I came to a little back corner that was wildly eclectic. It had packaging (like you would find in Michael's for candy) and little paper tags and junky crystal that was priced WAY too high...and the blocks that I played with my entire childhood. I am pretty sure I played with my blocks more than the good people at PLAYSKOOL (what were they thinking when they spelled it that way??) thought a human could. My sisters and I would build all kinds of things...but mainly these blueprintish houses. We would outline our "house-du-jour" and then dare anyone to crash it. Once we left our spot...we would announce "I AM LEAVING BUT DO NOT KNOCK DOWN MY HOUSE AND I MEAN IT SERIOUSLY I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE AND I WILL BE MAD OF YOU TEAR IT DOWN AND DON'T LET THE DOG KNOCK IT DOWN EITHER AND DON'T KICK IT AND DON'T SAY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I KNOW IT WASN'T". Deep breath...
huh? Don't they mean 1 1/2 to 41 years?????
I stood there...among the crappiest crap in the world and had a moment. I teared up...I smelled the blocks...I looked at the can and I bought them. And, while I ate my lunch...I played with them and just enjoyed having them all to myself. Amen...goodie gumdrops...stick a fork in me...THIS was an awesome Monday.
Take a walk through an antique mall and have your own moment...even if you don't WANT to. You may get the creepy crawlies....you may decide to deep clean your house....you may get nostalgic - no matter what...you will feel something. And, if you're lucky, you may get to eat YOUR lunch and play with your treasure ALL BY YOURSELF!
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