Posted by In general I am an emotional person. I can get weepy over a pretty sunset! But this year I seem to be feeling things even more deeply. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older (and reminiscing more about the “good old days”) or I’m worn out by the sad, sad, sad state of the world.
And this weekend my youngest brother is moving from Houston, TX, to Knoxville, TN. He’s lived in Texas for 20+ years and I have visited him a number of times there and always enjoyed our time together. And it dawned on me that I will never again see his little house or visit our favorite local winery (Texas Star in Chappell Hill) or go antiquing in the nearby town of Spring.
Of course I know we will have new adventures in Tennessee, which bonus is where my other brother lives so we can have sibling reunions which will be grand, but still I’m getting a bit teary about his move. Weird…right?!
It’s also hard to know when I should visit my relatives in New York state, particularly my 89-year-old dad and 90-year-old cousin. With an uptick of Covid-19 in California, I worry that I could unknowingly bring the virus. But I really want to go this year….
On the thrifting front, I am getting to my neighborhood thrift store at least three times a week. The place has been a beehive of folks donating goods, but my picking there has gotten back to my usual of sometimes leaving empty handed. This past week I only found a couple of things.
This artisan-made ceramic candle holder caught my eye with it’s pretty blue/green color (which I did not capture well here!). Really just a little bread-and-butter item, but I thought it was handsome and usable. (I tried it out last night!)
And I spotted another vintage jelly mold. It’s solid copper aged to the color of an old penny. While unmarked, turns out it’s French.
I saw a few things I debated about buying including this African gal. But I know nothing about African wood carvings. Was she good? Old? Made yesterday? In the end I didn’t buy her (though I did covet her perky breasts!).
I also didn’t buy this hand-painted ceramic vase with an Egyptian motif. It was interesting, but at almost $15, seemed too pricey.
And this framed print. This one I still think about. It was beautifully framed, but the matting hid any details about the print. Without my jeweler’s loupe I couldn’t determine if the print was newer or not. The image was a bit odd too–fancy 1800s folks milling about by a wood frame part of a building and a hot air balloon without a basket or burner? I just didn’t know what to make of it. It was $13.49 (not a bad price), but given the size of it and the trouble it would be to ship, I didn’t buy it. Mistake??
More estate sales are happening these days, but so far I haven’t seen any that excited me enough to risk going.
Sales have continued to be better than normal this June, but have slowed down this past week. I am curious to see how I’ll do in July as typically it’s one of my slowest months and I’m guessing it might be again.
Both my husband and youngest daughter have noticed I seem to be less happy with running my business these days. I think in part it’s due to the long stretch of sheltering in place. With so many of my usual activities curtailed and the inability to meet up with friends, perhaps it’s affected my overall mental health!
Still I feel blessed in many ways too. Oh gosh. I feel myself getting teary again!
Well, I’ll close for now wishing you happy hunting and good health,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
Something has affected my mental health. I’ve always had emotional problems, being bi-polar and a little more on the depression side, but it’s worse. I don’t feel like doing much. I even had to call my psychiatric nurse practitioner who added on another medication. Surely, we are all being affected by this corona-virus, especially the ones who are complying with their state and/or local mandates! Try to stay well, and take care of yourself.
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Hi Fonda. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an uptick in the need for counseling/therapy in the months to come. Hope your new medication is helpful. I am journaling and getting outside more…both which lift my spirits a bit. Take care, Karen
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