Burgaw Sale Score

Today, June 30th, I went on a little adventure.  I once again visited the town of Burgaw.  The first time I went, there wasn't much to see, but today was different.  It's about 35 minutes from home and...you guys!  I live in THE country!  

The drive is on NC 53, a two lane road, through farms and fields and TREES.  This state has more trees than California and several other states combined!   I passed hog farms, blueberry farms, corn fields and farm houses (and log trucks). Where there isn't a farm, there's trees and foliage so thick you can't even imagine.  Crossing a section of the Cape Fear river, you almost can't tell there's a body of water in there because of the thick foliage.  There's no sense in taking photos of the trees.  There's just no way to capture the enormous amount in a photo!

Anyway, an auction house in Burgaw advertised on Facebook that they were having a huge sale today, tomorrow and Saturday. I hadn't heard of them before so I made plans to go.

Stover Auction House

 I got there a half hour before it opened and there were already cars in the lot with people waiting for it to start.  We had to sign in on a sheet of paper on the door.  They were going to let you in, in order of arriving.  I was 18th.  Someone came out and offered pieces of paper marked "SOLD" so that if you found something you wanted you could put your name on the paper and leave it on furniture pieces.

I wandered the aisles looking at everything.  If I could have transported furniture items, I would have!  As usual, I go for things I can carry and sell on Etsy.  It was fun going through some linen items like tablecloths and aprons.  The room was packed and I waited in line to pay for almost an hour.  All in all, I spent $30 total and came away with about 10 items.  The prices were great and many items that I can post on my Etsy shop:

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

It will be a few days before I post the new items since they need washing, ironing and research before I can do that.

After I left the sale, I visited a thrift store and two antique stores in town.  There were several more antique stores I could have gone in, but I was pooping out by then.

I  think I heard their staff say they will have another sale like this near the end of July.  If I'm able, I'll be there!

USO Event

On Tuesday this week, I worked at a USO event for kids and their moms.  This was a usual story time day, however this one was special because the Jacksonville Fire Department came to do a fire safety program.

I'm guessing there was at least 100 moms (one dad) and kids that came to do a craft, see a puppet show, learn about fire safety and eat lunch.  These would be spouses and kids of active duty military, (mostly Marines, since those are the ones closest to this USO facility).  Moms were herding toddlers while carrying a baby and trying to get them to their table.  The story time days are for kids up to 6 years old but I'm willing to bet most were 4 and under!

I helped at the craft table, which was a challenge for me, but it worked.  This is what the kids were making:

In case you can't tell, it's a fire engine.  Having kids spread red frosting on graham crackers was the challenge. I'm sure they were taken apart and eaten by the time they got back to their tables!

The kids loved the puppet show, the firemen and getting to see their equipment up close.  

A local pizza restaurant donated pizzas and there were cupcakes and cookies galore.

On Wednesday, I went back to the USO and helped with a Rack Pack party.  There was probably 10 of us filling sacks with the essentials that Marines can use when they get to their barracks upon returning from deployment. They get toothbrush, shaving gel, deodorant, wash cloth, etc. so all that is available to them no matter what time of day or night they get in.

The "party" can be a bit chaotic, but somehow it all works and everyone pitches in and gets it done.  We put together, or repacked almost 1000 rack packs.  There was still a little time left,so we started on some deployment packs, which have different contents.  (The USO can always use donations of travel size items and wash cloths!)

These two events put me over the required 24 hours of volunteering in order to get my own USO name tag.  

Whoo-eee, now I can look like an official USO volunteer.

I look forward to more of these events.

Friendly Lady

When I first got to North Carolina I didn't venture out too far, but one day after I'd been here about two weeks, I decided to stop at a little antique store on Burgaw Hwy.  There was a sign out front that said, "Home Fires Country Store."

The sign out front said, "Park in Back."  All there was, were tire tracks in the grass leading to the back of the place, so I drove to the back and parked.  I went up to the door and walked in but there wasn't a soul around.  I could tell it was an old fashioned antique and country-like store but no one there!  Here's a picture I got from Google maps.  Unfortunately it's not very good and was taken in the winter so you can't see how pretty it looks now, but it's an old, old house with little tiny rooms. I think the roof has probably been painted or replaced by now.

After looking around a few minutes, an older lady came in the door and said hello.  I'm pretty sure she just came from across the street.  I guess she figured if she had a customer, she should come over to the store!

Anyway we started talking, and she said her name was Caroline. She asked where I lived and I told her "Off of Haws Run" since I was so new I didn't know what else to tell her.  She knew right where that was because she grew up on Haws Run, in this house:

Mama's House

Mama's barn

 She told me it was her "Mama's house."  But, "She's been gone a looonng tiiimme  now."  Then, "But you never get over losing your Mama!" Oh gosh. At that time, I broke down in tears and couldn't stop.  I told her I had just lost my mother and had just moved here.  She gave me a big hug and comforted me. She was so sweet about it.   It was so embarrassing!  I ended up buying a book from her and went home to cry some more.

Skip ahead a few months, and I was out at a USO thing this morning and decided to stop again at Home Fires on my way home. She's only open Thursday through Saturday, so I knew it was a good time to stop.

Once again, there was no one in the store, but I knew that if I waited a few minutes, she would show up.  Sure enough, in walked Caroline.  

I'm guessing she is in her mid to late 70's and very spry.  She looked at me like she knew me and I reminded her that I was the customer that cried while I was there before and she remembered me. "Don't feel bad, we all do that honey."  (How could you not remember the weepy customer who cried) 

We chatted for a while about the store and her "Mama's house."  The house is empty but she goes over a few times a week to "feed the kitties and check on things."  Currently the house is surrounded on all sides with corn fields. They might belong to the neighbor on the side, or maybe they are rented out for that purpose.  She would like to rent the house that contains the store but hasn't found any takers. What fun that would be, to operate a store in that little house!  It's so small, it's like a doll house.  I know business is extremely slow right now but the summer months bring tourists. She said she only had one customer in May!  (I hope I'm not her one customer in June!)  I know she doesn't do any advertising, or have a website, etc. like businesses need these days.   The place needs work, but she does her best to keep things up.  She has been trimming bushes around the place, and even put up a small railing for the porch steps and was proud to tell me she mixed up the ce-ment and poured it herself for the post.

She is a sweet lady and probably would have talked for much longer if I had stayed.  Other than other USO volunteers, she's the only person I've had a conversation with!  I bought two things from her, one marked $1.00 and the other marked $.50!

I told her that IF my sisters come in October, I promise to bring them in the store.  She said she would be looking forward to that!  Me too, sisters!

Nature and New Skills

I haven't written in a while but was thinking lately about how much "nature" there is here.  When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do was go camping.  I loved being out in nature and enjoying the trees and birds and everything that goes along with camping.

Living here reminds me of the same feelings. There's a forest in the backyard.  Pine needles could be swept off the deck every day, but seems like a lost cause.  Birds fly in and around the yard and sing all day.  I've never seen a bright RED bird fly through my yard until now.  One song of the cardinals sounds like they're saying, "pretty, pretty, pretty."

There are squirrels scampering around and breaking into walnuts and pine cones on the deck railing.  Abby thinks she can catch them but they're too fast for her.  
I've seen caterpillars that are the strangest looking critters.


   But they turn into these:

Of course there are a few things I'd rather not deal with like the salamanders, lizards, and mosquitoes.  If the lizards and salamanders stay outside, not so bad, but I don't want them in the house.  As far as mosquitoes go, I have very bad reactions to the bites, so I'm trying to stay away from them as much as I can.

This guy lives on the front deck

Then there's the morning I woke up, went into my bathroom and found a frog in my sink.  Yes, a frog.  I called Elaina to come in with her "frog catching device"  (plastic container with a lid). She's used to doing the catching.  We think he came in on something else by accident.  He was more scared than I was.  
I know, I know, the lizards and frogs will eat the mosquitoes, so God bless them.

I've been making use of my sewing machine too.  I learned to make a pillow case with french seams and border. Thanks to youtube tutorials.

I made a little bag with an old hankie for decoration.  I'm still a novice, so I haven't tried anything too complicated, but I'm willing to keep trying.

Never too old to learn something new I guess!  Thanks for reading.

Memorial Day Weekend

Elaina had 5 days in a row off from work, so it's been nice to have her around more than just the nights and weekends.  Friday we went to New Bern and visited two of our favorite antique stores and a flea market that I hadn't been to before.  We had a nice lunch here at Morgan's Tavern and Grill:

They served fresh croissants drizzled with honey while we waited for our food. Delicious!

On Saturday Elaina did some more gardening and got our flag up on the front porch.  On Sunday, she barbecued hamburgers and corn on the cob and I made a three ingredient "ice cream."  I won't make that again.  Just not the same as REAL homemade ice cream.

On Memorial Day, we went to the Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery for the service there. There was some seating under tents but many more (like us) were standing.  It was in the high 80's and very humid.  I had to stand under a tree for a little shade.  The Young Marines organization were handing out water bottles and with some help from a few veterans were bringing in a few more chairs, being offered to women who were standing (like me!) There was a prayer offered by a chaplain, the colors were presented and the national anthem was sung.  Some members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart spoke and recited a poem.  At the end we sang God Bless America.

It was all very moving. What impressed me the most I think, was the obvious veterans in the crowd who didn't just stand when the colors were presented, or the national anthem was sung, they stood at attention.  Young veterans and older veterans alike in their shorts and T-shirts and flip flops.   You know it when you see it!

So glad I got to do that.  I haven't been able to go to things like this in the past. I had other responsibilities.

I also got to meet our future congressman, Taylor Griffin.  Well, we hope he's our new congressman. Primary is June 7. If he wins that, he will probably win the general election!

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USO Baby Shower

Today I volunteered at the USO Jacksonville.

They held a baby shower for any active duty and active duty spouse expecting a baby or have had one between April and June.  Twenty expectant moms and some of their babies and/or kids attended. Some are due any day, and others not until June sometime.

When the moms signed up they were asked what their cravings are.  So the refreshment table had the following:

1. Gummy worms
2. Swedish fish candy
3. Sourpatch somethings
4. Mashed potatoes
5. Hot dogs
6. Cupcakes
7. Chocolate chip cookies

A fun example of how the USO aims to serve the military and their families!  They played some games, had a speaker from the Naval Hospital and the ladies were given a laundry basket full of baby things.  This was a chance for them to get to know each other too.

I helped set up tables and chairs, and get some of the food ready for the refreshment table.  It was a nice day and I'm sure the new moms enjoyed themselves.

If you want to see pictures, you can go here: 

https://www.facebook.com/USOofNCJacksonville/

I went to a couple of thrift stores on my way home but didn't find anything worth mentioning.  When I got home there was this

huge butterfly in the front yard.  The wingspan was probably a good 8 inches across.  I wish the picture was better, but he kept flying from blossom to blossom and he wouldn't hold still!

Well, that's life for today.  Thanks for reading!

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?