Another Year Done and Dusted 😳

So I woke up yesterday a year older. Which seems impossible because I just had a birthday! Didn’t I? As a kid, days and nights lasted forever and the stretches between holidays was interminable. Honestly, it took FOREVER for my birthday and Christmas to roll around each year.

And now, days zip by in a blur and I often forget what day of the week it is!

Smart folks have posited several reasons for this. Neurologist and neuroscientist Santosh Kesari says: “We gauge time by memorable events and fewer new things occur as we age to remember, making it seem like childhood lasted longer”. Professor Adrian Bejan has a different take, “People are often amazed at how much they remember from days that seemed to last forever in their youth. It’s not that their experiences were much deeper or more meaningful, it’s just that they were being processed in rapid fire [more mental images per second].”

Hmmm….

That got me thinking about my life and I realize that my days are…well…predictable and unremarkable. I live the same day, over and over, with slight variations. And for the most part that’s okay. I am content. I don’t want a calendar jam-packed with activities. I don’t have an insatiable desire for excitement or novel experiences. I like my pleasures small. Lunches with friends. Tending my garden. Dancing at summer concerts. Hunting for vintage things!

But there are times when I realize I’d like a bit more adventure. Maybe this is the year to do more traveling. Would love to get to NYC again and London (haven’t been there in years) and maybe, finally, to Scotland! It would be hoot to go antiquing there. The UK and Europe have it all over the U.S. in terms of age, quality and quantity of antiques. And in the U.S. the East Coast fares better than the West Coast! Makes sense when you think about the westward pioneer wagon trains lumbering across the U.S. plains and mountains in the 1800s. Not much could be taken and a lot ended up jettisoned by the wayside. Of course nowadays, thankfully, it’s easier to get goods from point A to point B!

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But even with my inferior California location, there’s fabulous stuff to be found. I’m pleased with my recent thrift store finds, which while not old, are good in their own way.

Waterford is one of the brands I love and love to sell and this biscuit barrel was so beautiful it jumped out at me on the shelf. Sadly, the pricing staff must have spotted the faint Waterford acid-etched mark on the bottom because it was priced up. But even at $28 (I got a tiny senior discount) it was worth it. While this pattern (Hibernia) is discontinued, similar new Waterford biscuit barrels sell for $300.

This small artisan-made pottery bowl just charmed me. Such a great organic shape, rather like a pumpkin without being a literal rendition. It’s signed Mary Rodes ’95.

I love books so spotting this “It’s Story Time” giclee print on canvas was kismet. It’s numbered and signed C. Stott, for artist Christopher Stott. He does absolutely amazing art of vintage pieces.

His original paintings are listed in the $$$$.

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So even though time is zipping by at a disconcerting rate, I am enjoying my little life. And on Saturday I have both the flea market and a lunch date with a girl friend which makes for a perfect day in my books!

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen