Still No Armadillo

Remember Gourdy?

I got a friend for him today.

His mustache reminds me of Snoopy’s brother, so I named him Spike.

He is Gourdy’s Uncle Spike.

He makes me laugh.

♥

I also picked up a few children’s books (big surprise).

I found two small Wilton cake pans too.

The pans are oval – perfect for making Easter egg cakes next spring – and they were a steal at two for a dollar.

The price was extended to me because the vendor was an acquaintance of my brother’s.

It pays to hang with a sibling who knows the sellers by their first names.  🙂

♥

My favorite find of the day is this chippy yellow bundt pan.

It was dirty and neglected when I found it.

It astounds me that people can’t be bothered to scrub a bit before tossing things into the donate pile.  Gross.  Sad.

I’m not sure how well it will actually bake, given the abuse it suffered from its previous owner, but I love it up there on the wall above my spice rack!

I will try it out over the holidays, for sure.

A few months ago, I bought a small red bundt pan that hangs on the opposite wall.

It’s chippy too.

I love them both.

♥

That’s all.

Happy Sunday!

♥

P.S. Look at this:

I tossed some leftover ground cover into a planter pot a few weeks ago.

I actually thought it was dead.

I guess I was wrong.

Happy Surprise.

♥♥

I Don’t Think He’s An Armadillo

I went to Kobey’s Swap Meet on Saturday.  I hadn’t been to it in a couple of years.

I knew it couldn’t hold a candle to the amazing Rose Bowl Flea Market where I went a few weeks ago, but I was unprepared for one of the bigger differences between the two.

Kobey’s is a weekly neighborhood swap meet.  Obviously, it’s much less expensive to get in and it’s a great deal smaller.  My expectations were in line with that and I was okay with it.

What I had forgotten is that Kobey’s has a much more typical Southern California pedestrian beach vibe than the Rose Bowl Flea Market.  I don’t recall seeing anyone without a shirt in Pasadena.  It’s casual there, certainly, but there’s also an unspoken code of more formal conduct and dress.

The explanation for that may be as simple as the Rose Bowl’s proximity to Hollywood and Beverly Hills.  Or it could be its reputation as a world class shopping destination.  After all, you do hear about the Rose Bowl Flea Market on national t.v. and in pretty decorating magazines.  Whatever the reason, it just has a slightly different caliber of clientele.

Not true at Kobey’s.

I worked very hard to avoid seeing bare nipples and butt cracks this weekend.

I guess I’m kind of a prude when it comes to seeing very private body parts in public.  In general, I just don’t prefer it.  And I am pretty much repelled by it when it’s not at the beach or a pool.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the beauty of every size and shape, man or woman, young or old, fat or thin.  It just that I think there’s an appropriate time and place for things.

Unfortunately, there was a shirtless guy at Kobey’s on Saturday and he was clearly following the same route I was through the market, because I couldn’t seem to shake him.

At one point, I even turned in the opposite direction just to get away from him and his bare nipples.  He was walking a few yards in front of me, but the density of the crowd was forcing the gap between us to shrink.

I abruptly turned and went back down the row I had just come up, but when I reached the center aisle, there he was again.  Ack!

Truly, there was nothing wrong with this man’s physique.  My issue with his nakery isn’t about that.

It’s just that it was a little warm, I presume he was perspiring and had removed his shirt for that reason, and it kinda grossed me out to think that the crowds might make me smash into him.  Would he be slimy?  Blech.  Put your shirt on, naked man!

As much as I enjoyed the sunny walk and browsing through the vendor stalls, I was actually relieved to reach the exit and finally get away from him.

That said, I do recommend Kobey’s.  It’s a nice way to spend a morning and it doesn’t require a huge commitment of dollars or time.  Maybe you even like shopping with shirtless guys?  There’s a little bit of everything for sale there, including fresh flowers, produce and a variety of new and used merchandise.

I bought a few children’s books at 50 cents a piece and for another $4.00, I got this guy, whom I don’t think is an armadillo:

I’m calling him Gourdy.

He is hand-carved, hollow inside, and filled with a handful of beans or pebbles.

If you shake him, he makes a pleasant, mellow, maraca sound.

I love him.

Love him.

LOVE.

Him.

He’s far more appealing than shirtless guy.

Seriously though, nipples aside, I had a good time.

Wow.

That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.

Do you love Gourdy too?

What do you think he is?

Write me a note.

Happy Tuesday!

♥♥

Chinese Brownie

Grandpa Lou went to the swapmeet on Sunday.

Wish I’d gone too.

Look what he found for the little boy:

A child’s accordion!!

It came in this super cute box:

It sounds great too, very sweet and old fashioned, not too loud.  Lovely.

Thank you, Grandpa Lou!

♥

I finally saw Dances With Wolves/Lord of the Rings/Tarzan/Phantom Menace, I mean Avatar, the other day.

I liked it a lot and now I want to be blue too.  And really tall and in tune with trees.  Maybe next week.

Husband and I actually had a date.  Wahoo!

We left our son at Grandma’s, saw the movie and even had time for a veggie burger at Island’s before retrieving him.  It was very pleasant.  🙂

Of course, now the little boy is sick and home from school today, but you can’t have all the stars line up at once, right?

Good weekend except for that.

♥

I had lunch with an old friend at The Mission yesterday.  Love, love, love that place.

I know I’ve posted about it before, but it’s worth mentioning again.

The Veggie Wrap is delicious.

It’s really just a bunch of crispy julienne veggies and some noodles wrapped in a flavored tortilla, but it’s served with this spicy Thai peanut sauce that is really good.  Really good.  So good.  It’s the heartiest lunch ever.  Doesn’t even come with fries.  Doesn’t need them.

They gave me one those little paper chow mein boxes to take home the rest of the massive (and very good) brownie I ordered for dessert.

When we got outside, a strange guy on the street lunged at me suggesting in a loud voice that I share “that Chinese food.”

I had do a weird little jig around a bus bench to escape his eager advances.

A few minutes later, we passed him again and this time his friend spoke.  “Come on, let’s eat that Chinese food!”

I said “it’s a brownie” and kept on walking.

I wonder about people who approach me on the street.

I mean, I’m not petite, I don’t smile and yesterday I was with a friend who is six foot four.

What was that guy thinking?  Did he really just want my lunch?  Maybe he did.  I guess next time I will give him the brownie.

Happy Tuesday. 🙂

♥♥