On the Road Again...

but not storytelling today. Yesterday grandson Jared moved into a new apartment for the coming college year, and Poppa Larry helped. Our youngest son Tommy, who is Jared's uncle but only 5 years older, helped too. In the process of the move the guys and Jared's roomie managed to misplace a cell phone, 2 wallets and a set of keys. All ended well with the furniture and boxes moved in despite pouring rain and negotiating a narrow staircase to the second floor with a huge sectional sofa.

Except that one of those missing wallets ended up in Larry's truck, about 150 miles away from its owner. Solution? Drive back to return the wallet to its owner, which we did today. I went along with Larry so I got a chance to see my baby boy (who is not quite such a baby anymore) and to see Jared's new place. It was a good trip and a nice visit.

Then we stopped at an estate sale near Jared's and came out with some real goodies, like 2 of the old wood bushel baskets (one with one of those plastic liners that women used when they used the baskets for laundry), a wood magazine rack that happened to have a lucky head's-up penny in the bottom (you know if you've been a reader for a while that I am obsessed with picking up pennies), a big old teakettle that will be great for boiling water for canning, some wineglasses for 10 cents each, a big wood furniture clamp that will go to son Derek who does some woodworking from time to time, and a few other odds and ends. I liked the ladies who were having the sale. The things were their mother's and it was hard for them to part with some of them, but they were happy to know that the things I bought would be put to use in my house. I really, really wanted to buy the Hoosier-style cabinet with the sifter that was in very good condition (at $150 a real deal), and a couple other old-style kitchen cabinets but I have absolutely no place to put them. I hope they find good homes.

And then as we drove back through Ripley we discovered a new auction that apparently is held every Tuesday night! Who knew? Of course I had to stop and check it out, and came out in less than 20 minutes with a wrought iron patio set that has those springy chairs--four chairs and a round table for $50! I was a happy woman. I hate the plastic patio furniture and the Walmart kind because it doesn't last. These will hold up for a long time, and being metal they can be welded if they break. I've been looking for a set for a while so I was happy to find one I could afford.

So that was my day today--not at all what I anticipated doing, but a very good day all the same.