4/5/05

reading: She’s Come Undone. I actually read it way back when it first came out, before it was an Oprah book. I liked I Know This Much is True much better, but so many people love She’s Come Undone with such a passion that I think I may have missed something on the first read-through, so I’m reading it again. And someone in my comments asked how I liked Sammy’s Hill. I loved it! It was funny, because a klutzy, dorky main character? I can relate! Funny, interesting and a quick read. I gave it four smilies out of five on the reading list.

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So, last year when we went to Gatlinburg, Fred’s mother and stepfather came over to feed the cats a few times. When we got back, Fred went over to thank them and take them some coffee. “I noticed that you don’t have anything on the washstand,” Fred’s mother said. “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.” The washstand she was referring to was one that she’d given us a few years ago when she and her husband were getting ready to move into a smaller house. It belonged to Fred’s great-grandmother, and may even have belonged to his great-great grandmother, we’re not sure. Anyway, when we brought the washstand home, we put it upstairs against the small bit of wall between the spud’s bedroom and the guest bedroom. We hung a picture over the washstand, and considered our decorating complete. I had no idea that leaving the top of the washstand bare meant that you didn’t appreciate the washstand. I mean, we like the washstand! We put blankets in the bottom of the washstand! I polish it lovingly every six weeks or so! A few weeks ago I said to Fred, “We should hit some antique stores and see if we can’t find a pitcher and bowl set for the top of the washstand.” Fred said, “We need to get a towel to hang from the bar, too.” “I’ve got that covered,” I said. “I bought a kit to cross-stitch a towel that will work on the bar.” This past Saturday, the spud wanted to go to the mall, and it was such a beautiful bright, sunny day that Fred and I decided that I would drop the spud off at the mall, come back home, and then Fred and I would go out and hit the antique stores to find just the right thing for the top of the washstand. We ended up hitting four – maybe five – different antique stores, and holy CRAP are pitcher and bowl sets EXPENSIVE. We saw a ton of them, and most of them were absolutely hideous not to mention hundreds of dollars. Y’all know me – do I LOOK like I want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that will have no real function in the house except to sit there and look pretty (and isn’t a book)? What’s the deal with all the horrifically ugly pitcher and bowls, anyway? All we wanted was a simple single-color pitcher and a bowl that went with it; nothing with flowers painted all over it, nothing with multiple colors. We thought about buying a pretty McCoy vase we saw in one of the antique stores, and then Fred suggested that we could put a plate on a stand on the washstand (I don’t know why he thought that would be a good idea – I thought that sort of thing would look funny). We poked around several antique stores between Madison and Athens, stopped at Subway for lunch, and then went to Decatur. We found a couple of not-bad but too-expensive sets at the first store we went to, and then walked down the street to the other antique store. We saw a perfect set as soon as we walked in the door, but it was four hundred dollars. “Maybe we should just go home and look on eBay,” I said. “Let’s just look a little more,” Fred said. And then we found the perfect set. The pitcher was plain white and the bowl was blue and white. They clearly weren’t meant to go together, but that didn’t really matter to us; they went together well enough. It was priced at ninety dollars. Fred offered them $75 in cash, and they hesitated only a moment before they accepted. See, this is why I love my husband so much. I DO NOT dicker. I would never dicker over anything, and I would never think to offer the owner of a store less money in cash, because I would be afraid of offending them. If I go to a garage sale and see something I want? I pay the marked price. Fred, on the other hand, figures there’s no harm in asking. We came home, put the bowl and pitcher set on the washstand, admired it, and then went to take a nap.
The owner of the store said that she thought the bowl was from about the 1860s and the pitcher from 1880 or so. We had so much fun poking through the antique stores that I think we’re going to do it again soon. I saw a bunch of bowls like the ones my grandmother had, which makes me want to start collecting them.
Oh, don’t give me that look. There’s nothing wrong with liking to look around in antique stores!
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My husband sure does crack me up. To: Fred From: Robyn Subject: Geez. (Name deleted – you don’t know him) is such a jerk. When did he turn into such an asshat? To: Robyn From: Fred Subject: Re: Geez I don’t think he ‘turned into’ an asshat; he was born one. We’re just seeing a different side of the brim now.
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When will I realize that bangs just aren’t my thing? This hairstyle looks cute on Wendy Shanker, but really doesn’t quite work for me. Of course, I just had my hair colored and cut; therefore, it’ll never be styled like this again. At least not for another six weeks, when it’ll be time for another color and cut!
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The Happiest! Cat! In! The! World!
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34 thoughts on “4/5/05”

  1. What cat isn’t happy when he’s cozy and sleeping? Please put lots of kitty pictures up tomorrow. I’m away from home and missing my babies. I’ll be home Thursday night but that’s too long to go without kitties!
    Val

  2. I saw you and Fred for the first time on Penn and Teller’s repeat last night… WhooHoo!

  8. Thanks Robyn for the link and help!
    I actually collect pitchers and bowls and you are right about them being expensive! I only have a few…3 to be exact right now because of the price them. But I LOVE to poke around antique stores.
    I also like your bangs. Cute! I don’t like bangs on me because I wear glasses and they just seem to get in my way. I used to have them when feathered hair was in…but that was ages ago.

  9. You look great with bangs…you need to give them a chance. Maybe you should let us vote?

  12. I like your new car, the yellow is so you!
    I too saw the Penn and Tellers show, on DVD about a month or so ago, and the firt thing I said was ‘ Hey! I know her, well not know, but that’s BitchyPoo!!!’ My sister looked at me like I was insane, but I told her, you know the one that has the cat pictures!
    It’s pretty sad that there are scams in regard to weightloss and what works and what doesn’t and most of the commercials on TV are well, BS.
    You and Fred showed the world what works, and it’s not a magic pill.
    (I didn’t see any of your cats in the episode either. 🙁
    I just had to post that I actaully saw the episode though!

  17. The bands might be cute, but really I meant the bangs. That is what I get for not previewing.

  18. Count me in with those that rather like the bangs on you.
    Also, I love to poke around antique shops but around here something 50 years old is an antique. I think that antique shops on the east coast and in the south would be much more fun. Heck, our city just celebrated it’s centenial not that long ago!

  19. You look good in bangs!! (but they are, IMHO (that you didn’t ask for) too short.)
    I think everyone should have bangs.

  20. Love the car, love the bangs, my husband usually says asswipe or fuckstick. As for bowls I collect them too, ones that my grandmother had…even these cute little glasbake apple shaped dishes she used to make custard in. I even found her spice shakers on Ebay. I think I’m obsessed. My mother says my kitchen is beginning to look like my grandmother’s but I love it…even down to the porcelain table…okay I’m rambling.

  21. I felt the same way about the two Lamb books. I, too, read “She’s Come Undone” twice, thinking I had missed something that elevated it to “I Know This Much Is True” status… feh.
    I have that set of bowls from my Mom! We always used the lil’ blue bowl for making tuna fish.
    I like your bangs. They’re… perky! I want to get out my tweezers and fly down to your house to neaten up those luxurious eyebrows for ya.

  22. Love the washstand!!!!! And I think the bangs are cute – I like the color as well. 🙂

  23. (another) Susan – Well, I wish you would. I have no mad plucking skillz, obviously. 🙂

  24. Count me in as another who loves the bangs on you, especially after they grow in for about a week and don’t look so “new” anymore. My bangs are the most important part of my hair – if my bangs aren’t right the rest of my hair (and whole day) just sucks! My hubby tells everyone the story of how he was trying to be all supportive and comforting while I was in labor, and all he heard out of me was “DON’T TOUCH MY BANGS!!” Keep the bangs, but don’t get obsessive about them like I am! 🙂

  25. Spanky looks lke he’s smiling, what a sweetie!
    I like the bangs, I think they suit you. Of course, people always say I should get bangs, but I never do because they drive me crazy so I totally understand if you get rid of them.
    And hey! Nothing wrong with eyebrows au natural. Mine have only been plucked once, and after the bruising (yes, bruising) went away I vowed to love them just the way they are. 🙂

  26. Love the bangs and the YELLOW car! Hey, I am going to Gatlinburg this weekend with a friend and my 8 yr. old daughter. Anything you can suggest doing or atleast staying away from? Such as places to eat or shop etc. Any advice would be great since it’s a 1st time trip for all of us!

  27. Like the bangs. Like the car. Like the pitcher/bowl and washstand. What is the picture above the washstand? It almost looks like Sacre Coeur in Paris, but I’m not sure.

  28. I don’t know what you are talking about, Mom. I like the bangs. You should keep them. I

  29. I was flipping through the channels last night and also landed on your Penn and Teller show. You guys were so great! But I have to admit the entire time, I was remembering your journal entry where you were talking about the snaps of your bodyshapper coming undone! I kept waiting to see a look of horror on your face! tee-hee!

  31. I love the bangs, but I agree with another Susan…they’d look even better with a little bit of brow tweezing. I bet your hair stylist would love to wax them for you.
    On the bowl & pitcher set…I had no clue they were so expensive. I have a plain white set that was my brother-in-law’s mother’s.

  32. Love Antique Stores! Love ’em! Love ’em! Love ’em! But really, I call them junk stores, because be honest, most of the stuff at those places is junk. But every once in a while you can find something that is treasure to you, and that’s why I keep going to them.
    Try the Salvation Army sometime. I get great dishes there. Not to use, but to break. I do mosaics. Got some Ikea mugs there for 13 cents a piece. Sister in law was horrified that I was gonna break…but I did it anyway 😉

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