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.
* * *
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!
* * *
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.
* * *
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!
* * *
The Happiest! Cat! In! The! World!
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