Thoughts for Mid-May

1. Almost everywhere I drive right now, I pass by corn fields.  The plants are in various degrees of growth.  Some are just a few inches high, and others are almost a foot high.  Looking forward to having lots of corn this summer, possibly grown just down the street! Elaina said last summer she ate fresh corn practically every day and considered it "dessert." 

2. You know you live in a military town when...
Shopping for a few items in Food Lion this morning when I saw a young couple (30-35ish) shopping together.  The wife was pushing the cart and the husband was walking close behind with his white cane.  He was proudly wearing a T-shirt with the Marine Corps logo on the back.  No question in my mind who he is. 

3.  March was my best Etsy month for sales.  April was a little slow, and so far only two orders in May.  The nice thing is one of the May orders was my biggest sale ever.  I wrote about this earlier this month, but here's a re-cap:  I had found an antique silver tatting shuttle at a yard sale for $5.00.  I knew it had to be worth more than that so I did some research.  I sold it for my asking price of $120.00 within the first week of listing it for sale!  It was made by a jewelry maker/silversmith in the 1920's.  I had previous offers on it that I wasn't willing to accept.  So glad I didn't cave and sell it for $50 or put it on "lay-away" for one customer.  I actually hated to part with it, it was a beautiful item.  I need to find more of this kind!

The other item I sold this month: an aluminum calling card case with vintage calling cards inside. (Thank you Patty Purcell, you may remember this). I wasn't even sure I should list it, but I did anyway.  It just goes to show you never know what people are interested in.  It sold for $5 and the mailing cost!  It has a picture of Pikes Peak on the cover and was probably a souvenir from Pikes Peak, Colorado.  I wrote to the Pikes Peak tourist office to see what they knew about it.  I had two very nice emails from a woman who works in the office there.  She actually went to the trouble of asking long-time employees if they knew what year/s this was available as a souvenir.  They didn't come up with anything, but it was worth a try.  

4.  On another subject, I have at least 5 mosquito bites right now.  I have to find some natural way of keeping them away from me in the evenings.  I hate to use the chemical kind with Deet in it.  Mine tend to swell up and spread red all around the bite.  (I know, too much information).  I read that some people have an allergic reaction to the bites causing more redness and hive-like spots.  I think that's what I had.  The good news is, the more you've been bitten, the more you become de-sensitized. Next summer should be a breeze!

Mothers Day 2016

This has been a very nice weekend.  Elaina bought some flowers and planted some pots for the deck.  We spent a lot of time out on the deck just listening to the cardinals singing and watching the trees blowing in the wind.

 This backyard is like a mini forest all its own.  Of course there's a small creek and forest just over the fence.

Today we went to Lowe's and bought two aqua Adirondack chairs. 

We paid for them and took them to the car, and guess what?  They would not fit in the trunk at all. (Sometimes a girl just needs a truck.)  Elaina struggled with them a bit and decided to just go back in the store and return them.  However, a kindly older man stopped her and said, "My wife said I need to help you get your chairs home."  The wife had been sitting in their big ol' diesel pick up waiting for her husband and apparently saw us struggling with the chairs.  Elaina asked him if he was sure he wanted to do it and he answered yes!  So, they followed us home and delivered the chairs. 

We both thanked them profusely and Elaina tried to offer them payment but the man said, "Just pay it forward."  We intend to do just that.  What a blessing that was to a couple of single ladies who would have been disappointed in the day.  This is the second time a stranger has delivered a chair to us!  

We came home and Elaina made the Pioneer Woman's chicken salad recipe and we ate fresh pineapple and strawberries for lunch. We sat in our new chairs and ate out on the deck.  We had a gluten-free chocolate cake for dessert.

It was a very nice Mothers Day.  Glad I could be here to enjoy it.
(If I ever get to buy another vehicle, I'm buying a truck!)

Miscellaneous II

1. Our mailbox is at the end of the driveway.  Our mail delivery comes in a vehicle that looks like this:

 with flashing lights on top. 

 Not like this:  

I'm guessing they are contracted by the USPS to deliver mail? Never seen this before.

We have a visitor to our mailbox almost every day.  A little salamander/lizard/newt greets us there 9 times out of 10.  Don't know if he's the same one, or if a different one visits. Not sure why he/it wants to be inside a metal mailbox when he could be down in the flowers enjoying what salamander/newts/lizards enjoy.  Like bugs.  If I tap on the metal sides of the box, he runs away, which is good for me.  I'd like to have a "no vacancy" rule for creatures like him, but hey, I live in North Carolina.

2. Jacksonville is definitely a military town.  We have USMC Camp LeJeune, and MCAS New River, where Elaina works.  Being a typical military town, there are certain businesses that seem to do well here.  Like: barber shops and bars.  One business in particular makes me giggle when I see it.  It's called "Dirty Deeds."  Yes, it's a bar.  And a laundromat!  I'm guessing their clientele are single Marines...wash a load of clothes, toss in the dryer and sit and have a beer or play pool while you wait for your clothes to dry!  Somebody was thinking when they opened that place. They should open a franchise in other military towns.  Ha ha.

3.We had a rip-roaring thunderstorm this morning.  Abby has wanted to stay very close since her "mom" is at work.  I think the storm was right over the house for at least an hour.  Biggest "booms" I've ever heard!

4. Since the rain stopped there have been creatures coming out to enjoy a little sunshine.  Here's one:

Strangest looking caterpillar I've ever seen!  There was also a BIG lizard/newt/salamander on the front deck but he ran away (thank you) when I stepped out the door.


Just a few more interesting things that I'm not used to!

Etsy Shop Item

Yesterday I listed a sterling silver tatting shuttle in my Etsy shop. Six people had viewed it by the end of the day.  I had an email from a potential customer asking if I would take about a third of my asking price for it.  Uhh, no.  I just listed it and need to see if it will sell at my asking price.  One similar to mine just sold on Etsy for roughly the same price.  

Here's my shuttle.  It's marked "Sterling N&H."   The N & H stand for Nussbaum and Hunold who were jewelry makers and silversmiths in the early 1900s.  I am including the English antique crochet hook with it.  

I found this shuttle at a thrift store that was having a "yard sale" in front of the store.  It was laying on a table with a bunch of other yard sale-like items and some junk.  It didn't have a price on it, but the shop clerk asked the owner for a price.  He hesitantly told me $5, but complimented me on my good eye for finding it.  After doing research on it, I find that it is worth 20 times that.

This is the kind of thing that makes this fun and interesting.  Doing research on items is half the fun.  Actually selling them...icing on the cake.  Let's hope I sell this one for what I have asked.

By the way, every vintage fountain pen I had except for one has sold for very good prices.  Who would have thought?

So, Tuesday the 26th was Elaina's "special" birthday.  She took this entire week of leave from work in order to celebrate.  Monday we went to Topsail Island beach and spent a good part of the day.  We both got a little tan and a little burn.  My shoulders haven't seen the sun in a long time!  Here it is springtime and the beach was only slightly occupied, unlike a California beach.

On Tuesday we drove into New Bern and stopped briefly at a farmer's market and walked around town for a bit.  New Bern is a beautiful small town that looks like it's out of a book.  They're known for the fiberglass bears that you see around town.  This one is definitely a farmer.

We went to lunch at Persimmons, a favorite restaurant of Elaina's on the water (The Neuse River). We sat outside at a shady table.

Persimmons Restaurant

View from our table outside

Birthday Girl

I had a Dagwood sandwich (yummy) and Elaina had a burger (gluten-free without a bun of course.) We also had an appetizer of North Carolina style deviled eggs with crab meat. They use a wine vinegar in their deviled eggs here.  They were really good.

Elaina decided after lunch that we should take a drive to the town of Oriental (named after a steamer ship that wrecked in 1862). Oriental is called the "sailing capital of North Carolina." Population 900. It too is on the Neuse river.  What Californians don't understand is that the rivers in Eastern North Carolina open up to the "sound" which is basically the Atlantic ocean.  So yachts and sailboats sail up and down the rivers and right out to the ocean. In this case it is the Pamlico sound. I watched crab pots bobbing up and down in the river.  

We sat in Lou-Mac park and just enjoyed the water, the sun and the breeze.  Elaina had taken me to this place a few years ago when I visited and I often thought of this little park when I needed to "get away" in my head. 

The clover here is everywhere you look and the scent is so strong.  There were also some wild flowers growing in the grass.  I took a couple in the car with me when we left so I could continue smelling it on the ride home.

It was a beautiful day and I know the birthday girl enjoyed herself.  Today she is off to a "Wine, Cheese, Bread and More" seminar in Beaufort, part of the 2016 Beaufort Wine and Food Festival.

Looking forward to what God has in store for my wonderful daughter in the coming year!

Just Another Day

Since I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, I stepped out and went to a free two hour class at Coastal Carolina Community College yesterday.

The class is hosted and lead by the US government's Small Business Administration.  There was only 6 of us in the classroom from varying backgrounds.

The instructor came into the room, said, "Hi Y'all.  I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."   He clearly meant it as a joke.  There was only a few snickers from those of us in the room. 

The instructor had lots and lots of information.  So much so, that my head was "swimming" with too much to think about.  I didn't know the Small Business Administration did so much to help people get started in their own business.  Not sure that this is for me, but at least I have some information.  (According to the instructor my Etsy shop is a "hobby"  not a business)  For now, I will continue with my hobby.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PicketfencesVintage

Morehead City and Beyond

This morning I read an article on Our State magazine about three antique stores that are three of the most popular ones in NC.  All I said to Elaina was, "We should go to this one in Morehead City sometime."

Well, Elaina said, "Let's go today."  She wanted to go to the "Friendly Market" in Morehead City anyway to buy our produce. This is a place that has local fruits and vegetables, a shop with homemade-like cakes, pies, breads, etc. and a plant nursery. 

The antique store was Seaport Antiques (Morehead City is a seaport) and was a really good one.  I bought some vintage buttons and a seashell but that was all.  The wind was so strong there today, that the proprietress had to keep the door locked or the wind was blowing the door open.  So, she had to let us in and lock the door again.

From there Elaina said, "Let's just drive over the bridge to Beaufort." So, we did.   From there she said, "Let's just drive to (what she calls) the end of the world. Want to go?  Should we? " There's no sense in asking me if I want to go.  Of course I want to go.  

That took us out to Cedar Island which is as far as you can drive without ending up in the water.  We stopped at the ferry long enough to use the "rest area"  and let Abby go potty.  Someday we will take the ferry to the Outer Banks!

The red flag is where we were and the ferry takes you to the Outer Banks,
 that narrow strip of land out in the ocean.
I had to make this photo huge in order to read the words.

We got home about 6:00! We were gone all day!

I'm so glad this girl has an adventurous spirit because I get to benefit from it!  She doesn't know just how much these trips mean to me.  I spent a lot of time in California not going anywhere or doing anything fun.  This is ALL fun to me.  Traveling around seeing new places and new things...I'm blessed.  That's for sure.

Just Interesting Stuff about NC

1.  The City of Jacksonville has 4 Fire Department stations situated around the city but none are near us.  There are two volunteer fire departments near us:

Haws Run Volunteer Fire Department    and
Southwest Volunteer Fire Department

We live in the area referred to as "Southwest" but we live just off of Haws Run.  I don't know who would respond to an emergency at our house.

2.  Buying alcohol here is a lot different than in California.  Grocery stores and retail stores can sell beer and table wine but if you want other types of alcohol, you buy it from an ABC store (Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission run by the state). Alcohol can be sold and purchased between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, however, you may not sell or buy alcohol between 2 a.m. and 12 noon on Sundays.  That means if you are grocery shopping at 11:30 Sunday morning, you can't buy that bottle of wine you want for dinner that night.  

I'm learning new things about this state all the time!

More Thoughts on Spring

There is so much "spring" here now!  The trees that are budding out have bright green leaves.  The azalea bushes are HUGE and different shades of pink.  Some homes I pass have multiple azalea bushes that actually cover the length of the home.
Like this:

Credit for the pic: Elaina Avalos

And then there's the dogwoods in bloom.

There's another blossom that I'm seeing that I understand is considered an invader by some, but others love it, I'm sure.  That's the wisteria plant/blossoms.  It's EVERYWHERE!  If you are a gardener and take care of it, it's very nice, but it gets out of hand apparently.  It climbs way up high into the tallest trees. It's pretty to see, but I can see why some gardeners don't like it.

 


On another note, on my way to my storage unit this morning I saw a dead deer at the side of the road.  Oh my goodness.  So sad.  It was quite small, so maybe it was a young one.  Right in front of a house on Burgaw highway.  I didn't realize there might be deer that close however, I did see a "watch for deer" sign on Onslow Pines Rd later in the day. Raccoons and possums in the road are quite common.  This was my first deer.   Now that I think about it, one night when Elaina and I were out driving, she had to brake for a deer. Just don't remember where we were. (She'll remind me)

Today I drove to the cute little town of Burgaw to visit some thrift stores.  On the way I passed a hog farm, and a blueberry farm named "Newberry's Blueberries."  I think Eastern North Carolina is famous for "festivals."  There is a blueberry festival, an azalea festival, a chocolate festival, and more I'm sure.

http://www.townofburgaw.com/

I crossed the Cape Fear River going into Burgaw.  It's very lush and green. There's a movie called Cape Fear with Gregory Peck. May have to watch it sometime.

Still need to find some thrift stores in the area.  Will be looking in the town of Richlands next.

March is Gone, April is here!

I may have said it before, but I bought myself a sewing machine for my birthday last month. My mom always had a sewing machine around.  When we were younger, she made us some clothes and a kitchen curtain or two, or three.  She also made several quilts over the years.  That sewing machine sold in the estate sale.  Any sewing I ever did was 1. Home EC class in junior high, 2. Curtains for my own home.  But, mom was always there showing me what to do and helping me along.

I bought this new machine that was very economical, but fancy for me. 

1.  It has 25 different stitches
2.  It has an automatic needle threader thingy
3.  It has presser feet for blind hems, button holes, sewing on a button, and doing a narrow rolled hem.
4.  It has directions right on it for threading the machine and the bobbin. So easy!

The best part of having this (without mom to tell me what to do) is that there are so many youtube videos showing just how to make some things.  They have been so helpful!  I have made pot holders, pillow covers and aprons. I'm going to recover my ironing board cover next and a cover for the sewing machine.

I also had a great month for Etsy sales.  Well, great for me.  I had seven orders last month.  I was going to the Post Office every few days!  I hope April will be even better for sales, but I will need to get out to some new thrift stores and look for inventory. The next towns I want to visit are Burgaw, and Richlands.  They are both about a half hour away. Hopefully they have what I'm looking for.

Looking forward to spring here.  Green and flowers are popping out everywhere!  (So are my allergies)