We have one
more year for hubs to leave for work everyday and then he will retire. I’ve been home for about three years now and
while I have at times been bored and looking for something to do, someone to
talk with maybe, I am not sure how he and I will fare with both of us here all
the time. He’s a doer. Has to have a
project or something to work on or he fidgets, paces, shakes his foot…makes me
nervous, and agitated. I can curl
up. I don’t have to “do”, but, sometimes he will suggest a trip or car ride and I'm ready.
Now, you know I
waited on the fireplace and the mantle for months. It still wasn’t 100% ready for Christmas but
I threw those Santa Claus figures up on the
where-the-mantle-will-be-when-I-get-one with a string of lights anyway, right
on top of the unfinished cement board. But now what? Shortly after Christmas the fireplace the
mantle is in place, is exactly what I want, and I’m excited about keeping it “fresh” My husband will tell you that a bunch of
stuff on the mantle is not needed to create a cozy and cheerful home, but,
believe it or not, we don’t ALWAYS agree.
This past
weekend, with nothing to do on the calendar and a need to get out of the house
before the snow started again, we headed out to hit a few antique stores. As we entered one antique mall, he turned right, I turned left, long ago accepting that we
don’t enjoy looking at the same things. I don’t think I saw him for a half
hour, and when I did, he was perched on a low stool sorting through
records. My first thought was, “How
boring” followed by “Don’t you dare buy another record…” but that was fleeting.
Truth is, he enjoys records and he is often looking at something our son might
like, or our nephew, or niece. So, if he
wants to develop a cramp while sitting on a too tiny stool, bent over a milk
crate, pulling out record after record, so be it. If he decides to cough up anywhere from 25
cents to two dollars, okay.
My focus on
this trip was to find something I might want to put on the fireplace
mantle. I am quite sure if I went up in
the attic or checked through a couple boxes that have been packed up for the
remodeling, I would find more than enough to put on the mantle, but the joy, as
they say, is in the hunt. Walking through
antique shops or booths is so different than it use to be, when we might
consider a cabinet, or chair or dresser.
We don’t even stop at those big items any more. Because I’m more into groupings these days, I look on
the floor, in cases, on bookshelves. I peruse for theme, or color and use...if its an advertising piece, all the better.
I did pick up a
trio of angels, and a pair of carved wooden heads, that probably started at
Hobby Lobby and are not antiques at all, but I thought were fun. I passed on a large, pottery umbrella stand. In the end, I agreed with the frowning
husband that there isn’t a good place for it, even though I really liked
it.
I wish I could
say that we do as well at garden centers or art fairs, but, we do not. For those trips I need my girls or a niece,
with a trip to a wine bar or small restaurant for a light lunch. But, I do
enjoy the antique trips, with a stop at a brewery or pub, for a greasy hamburger
and a pint with this guy. It pays to be
versatile.
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