Under the Knife

Remember when I made my "New Year's" resolutions (Labor Day)? I said I would "start something over, from scratch." The Big Lug's surprise visit is the best excuse I can think of to do just that.

Yep, this blog is going into cold storage for awhile - to get a face-lift. Watch the changes happen before your very eyes ...

... and then disappear forever.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And maybe Merry Christmas, too.

Nah.

Busted ... Maybe

He caught me - the Big Lug waltzed into my office while I had my blog prominently displayed, and then he stared ... and stared ... and stared.

Okay, so maybe he didn't see what I was doing, exactly, or why I was doing it. He didn't say anything, actually, and I'm pretty sure he couldn't quite read the header from that distance (his eyes, of course ... he cowboys up every time the optometrist is mentioned). But I'm also pretty sure he's now certain I'm hiding something - especially since I stared back at him, gaping like a big, guilty Bunny-fish before I whipped around and minimized the damned window.

I'm a really bad liar, have I told you that? I can evade like nobody's business (and have been for years), but when confronted I crumble like month-old crullers.

Part of me is glad. I've been struggling with this quest lately, juggling so many disparate parts that I have trouble with the details of my regular life. I'm tempted to reveal my secret identity, open my heart, let the whole sordid tale pour forth, then ask for his help ... with his own retirement.

The other part wants to distract him. Bare my soul, pah - baring my breasts would make him forget everything he saw, and be more fun anyway. (He's a dog, it's true.)

Yet another fragment (a pretty solid one) recognizes that the most joy I've had thus far is the treasure hunting, so maybe I should just work (behind the scenes?) on the other four ways to make money (sans blog ... mostly) and change this to a "Bunny Hunts" blog. (I did just find another pair of Tiffany earrings this morning ... seriously, I did.)

Of course, maybe he's just toying with me, waiting until the perfect moment to challenge me with my perfidy ... some time after the naked parts, no doubt ... in which case by tonight he might ... he could ...

Argh! I don't know what to do! I've put Acid Trip on high alert, though. With any luck we can put our heads together (soon) and find a scathingly brilliant, decidedly devious plan to cover it all up. Or let it all out. Or ignore it until it goes away.

Sigh. See you all Monday.

Maybe.

Crazed and Confused

Okay, I think I've got it figured out. Maybe.

Why am I proud? Well, recognition, for one. I wouldn't have given either the star or the small pin a second glance before my reading binge (alerting me to "trombone clasps" and "Edwardian style"), and, thanks to my inner Science Geek (and my jewelry tutor), I got the diamonds at a glance (the second, true, but a glance). I guess I"m proud of my willingness to take a chance, as well (though I do regret not picking up the two school pins in the same store with the smaller pieces - they were 10K but heavy, and they were not there when I went back for 50% off day).

So why am I baffled? Part is the "why" of it - why me, why now? Yes, I know that one will drive you mad, but if there's anything (anything at all) to metaphysics or to cosmic justice, I really don't know what this cranky, snivelly Bunny did right.

But the other part is more confusing - the "huh?" factor. Not for the existence of the donations themselves, though the high number of gold pieces in more than one store did surprise (and please) me. Mostly my puzzlement is about the prices. Total spent for the four pieces in last Thursday’s picture - just under $50. Total. Now, admittedly, the star's hallmarks were tortuously well-hidden, but the Tiffany pieces (and the watch) were clearly stamped. Why were none priced over $30?

The only reason I can figure is someone's just plain hurting for cash. That means bargains might continue for awhile (though a quick return to the scene of the Tiffany-binge today showed the previously usual, through-the-roof tags). And, yes, giveaways are hard to resist, but though I'd be a fool to question Mama Angel's bounty - and the f-word ain't one of my monikers - I'm also disturbed that the organizations that help those in need might be so horribly underfunded. We need to do something about this - and, in the process, keep the awesome treasure-fest going.

Here’s what I propose: for every gift we plan to buy (or get!) this Holiday season, we donate one we already have (and not the crappy ones!) to the charity shop nearest and dearest to us. And do it this week. I’ve already started bagging up much of the sterling jewelry destined for eBay. So can you.

Oh, come on, you know what a pain selling it is! And you also know it’ll come back to you - somehow, some way, it'll show up in your life. Maybe not in silver or electronics or Juicy Couture, but it will cycle around. Usually when you least suspect it.

And maybe that's the answer - I've just kept it all spinning like a crazy revolving door. Not consistently, not logically, and not with any expectation of return but simply because.

Wouldn't that be sweet?

Loot

Not as much time today as I would've liked to have - two grandkids this morning (one overnight, gone now, the other here smack up to my first tutorial). I'm cleaning, too. Once I had the table cleared I had the irresistable urge to take pictures. Pulling out everything I've found this year would take too long, so here's just the recent best - the thrift store finds (the stuff that was nowhere near retail) I'm most proud of, and, frankly, baffled by.

Obviously, the star is the 18K and diamond pin (found a few weeks ago), and the watch is the 14K gold Rado (a week or so ago). The two new ones are the Tiffany-made sterling/18K lapel pin in back (will probably sell), and the gorgeous Tiffany Moorish themed (stamped with logo, engraved 1924, mine) 14K pin in front.

Gorgeous, fabulous, wonderful, thrilling gifts from Mama Angel. I would be a fool to question my good fortune - and that's one word that isn't usually applied to me - but why proud, and why baffled?

When I figure it out I'll let you know.

Shopped Out?

I feel wierd. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I think ... I feel ... it isn't the flu, or anything ... might it be ... could it be ... no, it's not an overload. Not me. Not now!

I shouldn't feel this way - it was a fabulous weekend, full of wheeling and dealing with vendors at a two-day flea market that swings by three or four times a year ... plus another two hours in a thrift store this morning - but I do: I'm ... a little (just a little) sick of shopping.

What did I find? A fantastic tri-colored Hamilton 14K gold watch, a ruby-and-diamond necklace and a rose-charm necklace (chains and all), five plated watches for me (mostly working, beautiful bands) and six pipes for the Big Lug (pretty-pretties), six cups and saucers in my milk glass pattern, two pairs of beautiful sterling-and-gold earrings for my daughters, and even ... drumroll please ... one gorgeous seed-pearl-and-enamel 14K pin and one sterling and 18K tie tack, both signed "Tiffany & Co." (hopefully real). I paid tag value only once. All told, after negotiating and discounting and sighing with my my big, puppy-dog eyes working their magic, I spent just over $200 for all of it.

That would be about $15 more than I'd saved for this weekend.

I'm tired. But my work is just begun. I have a ton of research to do, and it's all my own fault.

On a related note, one of the vendors had a stunningly beautiful watch (for just short of $1K) that I lusted over. It occurred to me that I might be able to leverage the pin for it. I asked if she took trade. She said "yes, depending on what you have to trade." I told her. Her eyes widened. I didn't have the pin with me - I'm not going to rush into anything before I know what I have - but she was interested. And I had three (count 'em, three) epiphanies ...

One - scrap value (my excuse for buying) of all the gold I've been finding is great, as long as it's truly scrap. I have been blessed by Mama Angel more than once. And though I LOVE the things I find, I'm not (yet) an evening-gown kind of Bunny, nor do I have an office job that makes me dress up in heels and suits (thank God!). Yes, diamonds go with blue jeans and black leather, but do I want to go that route? I'd wear the 18K watch, for sure, and, technically, it would only cost me $2 (the price I paid for the pin). Isn't that more important?

Two - if this keeps up, I might one day be the vendor who has all this stuff. Once the economy heats back up the price of gold will fall, but the demand for gorgeous, well-made jewelry will increase (check prices just three years ago and you'll find the really good stuff went for more).

Three - the more I read, the more look and touch, the more I notice. Dear Lord, you wouldn't believe the amazing earrings I found this morning, and I would never have noticed their impeccable quality even this time last spring! I've learned it's all about quality over quantity ... and I'm developing an eye for the latter.

Where will this take me? No clue. I am happy that I had the extra savings to buy the items (that I will wear) and that I can still bargain with the best of them. But I'm ready for the pot of red beans that are simmering on the stove, for the cleaning and the reading and the internalizing that must happen for awhile, for a period of quiet in the eye of the storm. Donations are increasing. Yard sales and flea markets are staying around longer. And even the most established antique dealers are willing to deal. I will be there, with my radar out.

But not just now.

Maybe tomorrow.

Adventure

How does one go about finding adventure when one is confined (without too much complaint) by earning a living, watching (gladly) one's grandchildren, and tending (serenely) one's parents? Not an age-old question, exactly, but certainly a relatively age-new question, yes?

Women of a certain age didn't used to actually survive to that certain age, even a few generations ago. Not that we're the only ones who yearn for thrills (our younger counterparts yearned so much they used to suicide in droves to escape the confinement, the "gilded cages," of their era) but we are the ones who have a chance to achieve it more often. Yet do we?

According to womentraveltips.com, 72 million women travelled last year (out of date, but probably still close), and that the average traveller is a 47-year-old female (who wears size 12, by the way). While that's cool, and everything, almost all of sites I pulled up with an "adventure women" Google search involved travelling (or, strangely, extreme sports). Dictionary.com defines adventure as a "bold, usually risky undertaking." Are travel and death-wish spins down rocky rivers our only choices?

I'm rethinking my strategy for this entire quest. Yes, I love searching for and finding treasures (in both shops and the earth). Yes, I want to write fiction again (a surprisingly possible way to achieve my goal). And yes, I continue to pay off and build up. But the masthead for this blog says I'm supposed to have adventures.

What does that mean?

I don't know yet what it is, but I know what it isn't - it's not travel for travel's sake, and it's not a black diamond run down a snow-covered slope (not with my back), and it's really not what I've been doing (well, not only that). There's something missing, not only from the concept but from the entire equation, something that will take this to a whole new level. Something that will make this the adventure of a lifetime.

I just need to find it.

Pay Attention!

I love Mama Angel. Just when I think I've caught the brass ring (or the 18K star pin), just when I'm convinced I won't have another great find for weeks (even months), just when I thought I'd forgotten how to Listen, she hits me with a 14K gold (vintage) watch.

Sigh.

It's funny. Last Monday all I did was sit on eBay, scrolling and watch-listing and (yes) even lusting a bit. This entire week I've seen item after item selling for much more than my bargain-hunting soul can stand. (I did win a lot of costume stuff, so keep your fingers crossed.) What I learned, however, is legion.

1) There's money again. While things are hardly going through the roof, they are definitely on the move - mostly with sellers who are smart enough to start the feeding frenzy with a (sometimes frighteningly low) opening price.

2) People pay more for things from established sellers. I won't reach "preferred" in a month, but I'm confident that after a few weeks of establishing myself with my silver jewelry and my milk glass I will be able to sell my better finds credibly.

3) My butt is not made for ten hours straight in one of my dining room chairs.

The past three weeks have also shown me something else - with this renewed confidence in our economy, donations are on the rise. I've not only seen the pin I bought, and the watch I bought today ($10, by the way) but this same store also had a pair of ruby and diamond earrings ($40, but only 10K so I didn't buy them) and some really nice silver pieces ($4 - $8 each). In fact, this place today had an unplanned 75% off sale of all clothes, handbags, and shoes because they're overwhelmed with stuff. And though they pulled most of the designer things out of the pool into a special area (with special pricing) I was still seeing the most amazing tanks, blouses, and f-me heels cross the counter. Shoot, one woman had filled two shopping carts! And I saw at least three kids' outfits with labels even I recognized!

Hey! People! The holidays are right around the corner. Your local charity is dying for both your excess and your cash! So why not start a new tradition, one not of recycling but just of cycling. Go to your closet. Pull out your skinny jeans (you'll never wear them again, stop lying to yourself), last year's stilettos (you know they hurt), and any item with an still-attached price tag older than the cheddar in your meat drawer, and tote them down to your favorite charity shop. Then, with the guilt trip pre-empted, ravage the racks at will. You, too, can find a Gucci leather bag ($1, practically new), an Iceland-made sweater (doesn't anybody read any more?), and a Rado solid gold watch (thankyouthankyouthankyou!). Yes, it takes digging, and even a leap of faith (there was this pair of earrings that might test out) but it's so worth it!

Oh, and I'm thinking of going back tomorrow. I forgot that I have at least a half-dozen people to buy for. And they all wear silver.