Hot and Bothered

I knew better than to plan anything even the slightest bit strenuous this weekend. 108 degrees predicted for Saturday and 111 degrees predicted for Sunday told me I had better get whatever I needed to do done early. Unfortunately I am also dealing with a little bit of cabin fever, thanks to this nice long stretch of hot weather we have not been enjoying. I needed to get out, if only briefly.

After running a couple of errands to pick up a new lamp timer and a birthday gift, I decided to head over to Smithville for lunch at Pocket's. I could not get that close to the antique shops on Main Street without poking my nose in at a couple of favorite spots to see if anything interesting was to be found.

My favorite shabby shic/antique shop had lots to see. I acquired another flowered and feathered hat to add to my growing collection and a hat stand to display it. I also spotted a little chest and a mirror that I really liked, but I could not make up my mind to buy. Across the street I found a tiny, garishly painted wagon that will ultimately take its place in the Mexican restaurant dollhouse, which is still in progress, and a small tatted doily.

That was as much as I could handle for an outing and I headed home to spend the afternoon puttering with my Hodge notebooks and explaining to the dogs why they could not go outside. All evening I pondered that little chest I had left behind, and by morning had decided I needed it after all.

So, Sunday morning found me heading back to Smithville. I arrived just as the store opened and in short order the little chest and the mirror were loaded into Big Red. On the way back home I impulsively stopped at Dixie's Emporium and picked up a few more things, including 8 bowls of Arcoroc Aspen to add to my collection. The set of dishes I purchased 15 years ago have become very hard to find, so when I stumbled over 4 cereal bowls and 4 soup bowls for a ridiculously low price, I grabbed them.

Loading Big Red was one thing (and I had help from the owner's husband getting that chest into the car), but unloading it was another since by the time I got home, the temperature was starting to crawl up well past 100 degrees. I had plenty of help there, too, with both dogs and the cats joining me in the garage as I wrestled the thing out and into the house.

Nothing would do but that I get it moved into the place I had chosen for it. I've been long wanting to rid myself of the last of the crate furniture, a piece that has held my stereo components and part of my CD collection. I had decided that the little chest would be a great replacement. I had dismantled the stereo and removed the CDs and then belatedly remembered the collection of 45 rpm records that were tucked in behind the CDs. By the time the shelving unit was empty, I had CDs and 45s strung all over the living room.

Eventually the CDs were tucked into the drawers and the stereo was back together.

And I have absolutely no idea where I am going to store the mountain of 45s.

There is everything here - from early Merle Haggard to the Partridge Family to the Carpenters to the Rolling Stones to what is probably every 45 that Glen Campbell released. I had fun listening to some old forgotten songs, like Jerry Lee Lewis's version of Chantilly Lace. I'm going to enjoy rediscovering some of these treasures while I try to figure out where I'm going to store them.

I may need to go antiquing again. I'm betting the perfect chest is out there somewhere.

LSW