Apothecary Inn

Prison Break

Ryan and I decided that we were loooooooooooong overdue for a fun all-day outing! I had gotten wind of a costume & vintage clothing sale going on in Ashland this morning, so we headed out around 8 am for adventures. We did not realize what a zoo of insanity we'd be getting ourselves into (there were literally hundreds of people wedged into a tiny area - rather my version of hell; It reminded me of that scene in The Four Feathers with the ocean of prisoners crammed together). Arriving only a few minutes after the sale began, we were already too late for most of the "good stuff," and after elbowing our way over to the $1 hat bins, I discovered 5 rather beat-up but useable vintage hats. I was thinking that I could repair them and either wear them myself or resell them. However, after standing in the enormous check-out line for about 10 minutes and not moving an inch (all the while with screaming and elbowing people crammed around me), I decided that waiting 3 hours to pay for $5 in broken merchandise was a pretty stupid idea. So we ditched the hats and fought our way out. There was a small incident with one of the sale attendants trying to stop me by implying that my vintage hat wasn't mine but that I was trying to shoplift it out of there (I wore my white one with the flowers - a rather stupid idea now that I think about it: wearing a vintage hat to a sale with a lot of vintage hats. Oh well. Thinking ahead was never my strong suit anyway). Grrrrrrrr! That lady would have to pry MY vintage hat from my cold dead fingers! Thankfully (for me...and for Ryan, who is not a fan of conjugal prison visits), a quick "No!" and swiftly walking away ended the matter. She had another million screaming people to deal with.

After the scary costume sale, we stopped for breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe in Ashland. By the time we were finished eating, the stores were opening up, so we spent a good deal of time just wandering around the shops. We admired many of the touristy boutiques, but didn't purchase anything. Sometimes the fun is in the browsing!

Finally, we had exhausted our shopping reserves, and decided to head home. When we reached the car, we saw that it was only about 12:30 - the day was still young! So we decided to head to an Estate Sale in Medford. We figured it would most likely be picked clean by the time we got there (and it was), but I still thought it would be fun to look, and it was on our way home anyway. After a rather interesting round-about drive to get there, we finally found the home. Yes, sadly, I missed the good stuff: mink coats, vintage picture hats, the works! I wanted to cry! But after poking around, I discovered one lovely little coat in the downstairs closet which I knew had to come home with me! It's 1920's in style (it may possibly be that old - I can't tell! Anyone who has any input is welcome to comment!), with a low-tying waist, two clasps, and a top button closure. A little big on me, but wearable. At $10, who could refuse?! Besides, it matched my hat! So home with me it came! Jugi helped me model it later...

I look about as exhausted as I feel in this picture! But I have my Jugi in my arms, and that means that I am at least a very happy exhausted person!

Here's a great shot of me taking off the coat...gotta love that candid expression (thanks a lot, Ryan).

I have since tried researching the company on the label ("B.F. Schlesinger and Sons") but have been unable to find any useable information. So I have no idea if it IS a legitamate coat from the 1920's, or a later reproduction. Here is a picture of the label, and the beautiful top button.

When we got home, two surprises awaited me! My Negresse potato tubers and my owl brooch (from my wonderful friend and fellow beader, Emerald Window) had FINALLY arrived! Happy Day! Isn't the brooch beautiful? I love the golden oak branch she added to the piece. I think I will wear it with my new old coat!

And finally, two great pieces of gardening-related news!:

1) We ate the first of the sweet corn last night! I was so excited! And to add to my glee, I noticed that the Oaxacan Green Dent Corn is quite plentiful in my patch! The ears are getting large, and some plants have up to two ears on them! Everything I read on this variety of corn said to only expect one ear per plant. Yay for me!

2) The tomatoes are finally coming on line. Look at today's harvest (my hand for scale)!

Also in the Farm-Related News:

Ryan has decided it is high time to dry off our does. I have to admit, while I will be relieved to not have to deal with all that milking season entails soon, I don't know if I am quite ready to say goodbye to fresh dairy products. Ryan and I have decided that, after our very rough milking season this year, we will be taking a break next year. No kiddings, no milking, and sadly, no cheese. BUT that also means no due date/labor/insane vet bill stress, so the pro's are pretty nice...still, I don't want to have to go back to store bought milk! Sigh...

And now, to leave you with a happy picture of two best buds: