Catching up

I have a lot of catching up to do -- photos from great weekends at the Cape, rearranged rooms, etc., but I'm too excited about my latest "treasures" to think about those things right now. I went to my favorite thrift store this weekend. While I was there, a I woman called and asked if they would take an old doll bed and toy cookware. If they didn't want it, she would take it the "Treasure Chest" (some people call it the "take-it-or-leave-it". It's a place at the dump where people leave things that others might want. Do all towns have that?)

In any case, I didn't think much of it, but I was still there when she came (yes, it was quite a while, why do you ask?) and after taking a peek, I just couldn't leave them behind:

Here is the vintage toy cooking set. It's tin with red wood handles. First the utensils:

Then the pots and pans. Aren't they cute? I love the little coffee percolator. It has the little basket inside and everything. Some of the pieces have nursery book characters embossed in them.

This wasn't from that woman, but I love, love, love this American Tourister make-up case. I read that "Tri-Taper" was their top line, and people are selling these for around $25 on Etsy:

Some of my vintage sewing supplies inside. I think I will use it for my face-paint supplies. Or doll clothes. I can't decide.

And now for the piece-de-resistance:

Is that the cutest thing you've ever seen? No? Then this has to be:

I got it all (plus a few vintage, hand-embroidered hankies) for $30! Sehr gut, nicht?

I hope you get to relax and enjoy the summery weather!

It's a perfect day, and we went to Crane's Beach to enjoy the arrival of real summer weather.  Unfortunately, half of Massachusetts was there, too.  We got there at 10, which is usually before the crowds get there, but to find a place near the boardwalk (and hence not too far from the "potties"), we had to maneuver into a space in the middle of a bunch of other people who wanted to be near the potties and/or food (people with toddlers and one old lady).  Then, shortly after we got there a big group of people who had apparently come from the city, because they had a much different definition of personal space moved in behind us.  I breathed a cloud of sunscreen as one woman stepped away from her group to spray herself -- right upwind from us.  

I could go on, but I'll just say, the water was clear and refreshingly cold, the sun was hot and the breeze kept the green-head flies away.  We left after about an hour and a half, but that's the benefit of living 15 minutes away from the beach.

I'm sitting in the back yard now, after a picnic lunch, thinking about walking down to Patton park to hear the band.  The one sad spot in today will be the memorial ceremony we're going to have for Nemo.  I feel terrible, but we left Nemo yesterday in a spot where the sun shone in a window onto his cage and he got heat stroke.  We were gone most of the day, and by the time we noticed, it was too late to save him.  He died a few hours later, after being wetted and cooled, and then later warmed, wrapped in a washcloth in a basket on the kitchen counter.  He was, as Troy said, the best hamster we ever had.