So Beautiful - At Home in Paradise

Recovering from my helldays was easy this week as the winds are warm and the tides friendly. Even the Thrift was user-friendly, as miraculously some vintage silver was put out as I wandered past. The gleanings were a small sterling match case with a crest on it and a crystal perfume bottle with a sterling rim, hallmarked Birmingham, 1916. I also snatched up a very Art Noveau trinket box, crystal with a gold-plate top. Grande total = $18.50

-@ go me! @-

Other people have different hobbies. Me, I like to sift through junk for treasures. I honed my skills working for Joseph Iorio, the King of Canadian Coins (stamps and jewellery.) Standing at his counter going through sacks of stuff looking for precious metals to melt down gave me a razor sharp instinct and a fast eye. I absolutely loved my job there and I believe that I learned more from Joe than from any other single individual. Joe is an overcomer. Joe is a man who takes life and bends it to his will. Joe is a man who tranformed himself. Thank you Joe, for everything.

Now, one trait I acquired in Joseph Iorio's employ was thrift. I am very loath to part with large sums of cash. Somehow paying the retail price defeats the purpose of thrifting. Working at Joe's, I saw beautiful one of a kind items melted down for scrap price. It killed me at first, but I got used to it. The true value of a material good is what someone is willing to pay for it. That's all. Every now and then, when Joe was in an exceptionally good mood he would let me go through the huge bucket of scrap sterling and pick out stuff for myself. He thought it was a strange quirk I had, as he has no attachment to things. I got some amazing treasures from those days.

Today, I felt a whiff of my own past as I scooped up my little trinkets. I was very fortunate and I know it. I am delighted.

Today at the Thrift (!!)

Gentle reader rejoice with me as I give an account of the DEAL OF
THE YEAR from the Thrift Shoppe. It is taking amazing restraint not to rub my hands with glee whilst typing. I have a smirk/smile/euphoric expression in place that will likely STAY in place for a few hours.-------------------- *



On my third waltz through, I saw a monitor with blue and silver beckoning me. My subconscious recognised the reality before the rest of my brain as I walked over casually and heaved it onto my arms. It was not a monitor and keyboard as I am sure the pricer thought it to be. It was an iMac. I paid $9.99 for it. Oh lovely lovely thrift. It is not for me. It is for the home of he-who-I-never-obeyed for the use of a lovely child I know very well. I plan to charge him $100.

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On the other side of things, the reason I was on my third go through is that I came face to face with a man I like very much. We are fellow magpies who met at the since defunct Consignment Store in town. A Tim Hortons sits on the site these days. I was able to furnish my Father's new abode in the days when he was on the lam from his atrocious elder abuser wife. About $1500 bought everything from toasters cutlery and bedding to chairs, tables, wall units and bedding as well as two televisions and a computer. This were all almost new high end brand items. My co-hort was tempted to open a consignment store of his own but rising real estate prices impeded this. We just chat when we see each other. He has not been around for awhile. I asked him if he was still buying and selling and he allowed as how he was just buying these days as he was busy. Busy doing what I asked? Busy with treatment for bone cancer. BUGGER anyway.

One very good thing is that he was able to have a bone marrow transplant with himself as a donor. It was a stem-cell thing and it was done in Vancouver General Hospital.
He looked like someone on Prednisone and his mood was that flat affect you get with people in a prolonged state of shock. His cell-phone rang and we parted but you know.... he will stay in my thoughts. Likely I will be seeing him professionally soon.

Things *NOT* to Buy at the Thrift Shoppe

Don't worry, this is not a post about underwear - although it could be I suppose.
It would depend on how impoverished you are and so on....

My usual list of things invisible to me, things I do not buy secondhand goes something like this:
1- Food (Unless using a food bank)
2- Pets ( no no no and NO)
3- Plants (Bugs,and other awfulnesses.)
5- Shoes unless still with price tag intact

There are a few sundry others I cannot think of this moment but you get th jist. Now I have a new addition to this list. Printers! Do not be fooled by the inclusion of install disks and a full ink cartridges. Do not be lured by the low prices.
Just say NO! Proceed to your local retailer and buy one new.

The carnage from this estate -

2 Canons, 2 Epsons, 1 Hewlett Packer, 1 Dell and 1 Brother. - - and this just since I was keeping count. I have gone through the troubleshooter so often I can chant the instructions. BAH.

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Thrift is not an affair of the pocket, but an affair of character. ~S.W. Straus

Valentines Day

Happy V day.
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My inbox contained a Valentine from my diamond, - my motorocycle riding kite building longtime crush.

Life is strange. I long ago gave up trying to make sense of things. Somw of the best times I ever had were in the company of my diamond. The bugger of this all is that timing is everything.

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Pressies to me:

My tiny little condo is now home to cable television. To celebrate I went out to buy a big ass tv. Being cheap, I bought a 37" Sony trinitron from the thrift. Weighs a ton. Works great. And did not fit into the corner built in. Naturally.

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Oops -

Lady D came over to help me connect up my new little furnace that Dad bought me. Its a Sun Cloud and it is not really difficult to set up= it is more that I get freaked out when assembling things electrical. After we got it working Diana decided to put the wheels on my other closed oil type electrical heater - oops. 3 out of 4 are broken.
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Thrifty Scores

I had resolved NOT to buy anything at all this week from the Thrift. Olde habits die hard and I found my car pulling into their parking lot and my rogue feet walking through their front door.
The rest of me obliged.

Nothing of huge note except for some candles for 50 cents. The three wick variety. And a little alabster angel for 3.99 and hmm a pair of celestial candle holders for 30 cents.

And silk lounging dress and cape vintage 1960s and hmm oh yes, a set of miniature plates for 99 cents. Oh and a tiny piano box for 30 cents and a little sterling blush brush for 50 cents and a silver frame for 50 cents.

See how easily I am led astray?
Shiny things. It is always about the shinies.