Finally They Got Out of the House

                                              Spring green!



So over at Facebook, John Maxwell shared this:


"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character". -Albert Einstein


... and it helped me burst through the temptation to, again, loll around the house another Saturday morning with Tom after my 6:30 a.m. supermarket run. 

Finally, after six (or so) months, we went out expecting adventures and found some!

My favorite one? We discovered an ancient 3-story house with a moving sale and, because Tom doesn't do stairs unless there's a darn good reason, I ventured upstairs alone and stepped into--get this--two old Lucy-and-Ethel-worthy apartments. Oh, they sucked me into a time warp and I wandered through each one-bedroom place, noting the bay windows, retro kitchens, front entryway (with a dreamy coat closet) which led out to a covered porch, two retro kitchens and also, bathrooms with old-fashioned tile and huge bathtubs. (Lois Lenski's vintage regional books also came to mind.)

A day later, I'm still reeling and still kicking myself because I didn't take my camera and so can't show you photos. Yet I've a feeling the 1940's ambiance wouldn't have come through, anyway. Alas.

But I did think of you, my fellow lovers of all things vintage while I stepped over the oak floors in the nearly-empty rooms up there, expecting to glimpse Ethel or Lucy around every corner.


******


At a yard sale, ol' I-only-like-cats Debra, lost her heart to a silver lab puppy like this one:

Ooooo. I wanted to take the little bitty thing in my arms and walk out to the car with him. But instead, I went and dragged Tom away from the tool tables so he could see the baby (he also fell in love) and then we left before our emotions made us do something foolish, like bring home a puppy from the shelter to Daniel and Sammy who would never forgive us.

******

We drove to yard sales in an area which feels like the countryside in the city and at one, I bought this because it reminded me of Gladys Taber and because Tom said he really liked it:

These are the kinds of dogs we can handle.  :)

After the sales, we browsed through Salvation Army where I found a nearly mint old copy (with dust cover) of Please Don't Eat The Daisies which has become my new 'car book' then we ordered lunch to go from a new Mexican restaurant which Tom finds incredible, but I think is average. 

Home again, we ate lunch while watching Blue Bloods then I puttered outside in the sunshine and Sally and I called to each other from across the street. I could hear people out in their yards, released from Winter's grasp, and neighbor Mike and I chatted and then I read awhile until a couple small motorbikes and a leaf blower drove me insane inside.

But mostly? What a remarkable early Spring Saturday, a sign of other such days ahead as long as I burst through my home-loving tendencies and laziness to experience them.

My snow-in-summer plant is beginning to come back. I appreciate that thrive-on-neglect plant!

******

"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out."   ... Deuteronomy 28:6

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. -Zig Ziglar

The previous week, my Herb and Etc. Garden was just a pile of dried old brown leaves. There's more to be done, but it's a good start, I think.

******

Free Kindle Books:

Laughs, Luck and Lucy

Depression

Peace in the Process

The Dead Peasants File

Blueberries in Your Backyard

Interior Design, Decorating on a Budget

Natural Remedies for Beginners

Love's Providence

******