Some Antiquing and Flea Market Time Reprise

Today I am joining Char at Happy to Design  for Sunday Favorites. This post was from September 5, 2010. Please check out the other great reposts at:

Country Living Magazine said, "Tiny Sparks, Kansas — population 9! — hosts crowds of up to 75,000 twice each summer, with 450 dealers displaying a range of antiques and collectibles at great prices. "


Coming to Sparks on Labor Day weekend has become a fun tradition in the last few years. Saturday was a beautiful day, high in the 80's and sunny. Several of us went to the Sparks Antique and Flea Market and then up the highway to the White Cloud Flea Market. These little towns are northwest of St. Joseph, Missouri, in Kansas.










As it got crowded, many began standing on tip toes to see.





This little bottle fed goat was a pet of one of the vendors. He got lots of attention!






Then I started getting hungry......I am very suggestive.







As we got back on the highway, the trail of parked cars had grown.





That's a soybean field behind the cars, and running along those hills in the background is the Missouri River.







White Cloud sits on the banks of the Missouri River. Long before the white men came to the area, the land belonged to the Ioway tribe, whose chief was White Cloud. Entry to the river is right at the base of Main Street. White Cloud's flea market was all on the main drag.










Ice Cream time?

What would I do if I won the lottery?

I am joining Lori at Family Tree May Contain Nuts for the writer's challenge.

 Today's topic is:
How would a massive lottery win change you besides the fact that lack of money would not be a problem any more?

I have not really day dreamed about winning the lottery, as I don't buy tickets. But it did not take me long to get  thinking, after reading  Lori's post. Assuming it was a very large sum, here goes:

What fun, crazy things would I run out and do?

Take all my teacher girlfriends on a trip. I'll come pick you all up.

Buy more dishes and flatware!

Do all those house fix ups.

Then when things settled down I would:


Although I would love a different home, I am not sure I could leave my yard and flowers. That would entail a lot of transplanting. NO, I would not just buy new plants, as a lot of them are heirlooms from family ancestors, and others are just my babies! (My flowers below:)

 But I bet I could be convinced to pot up and move somewhere warmer, so I could garden most of the year.( Would they let me live at Bellingrath Gardens?)

I would, though, buy an RV in a heartbeat!! We took a trip in an RV when the girls were little, and it was the ultimate. Cook when we wanted, our own beds each night, it was like having a playhouse on wheels! There is still so much of  America I want to see, and to me that's the way to do it.

 Did this:

Want to do this:

Would I retire from teaching? Yes, but I would need to have a contingency plan, as I need to be around students. Maybe I could do some volunteer work at the high school, and set up a scholarship program to encourage students to do volunteer work. Every young person needs to experience volunteer work. It helps develop character. I also would become an emergency foster parent. There are many times that my students have needed a place to go, and would have come home with me, had I been  licensed. I should look into  that anyway, lottery or not.

The best thing I could do for my 2 daughters would be to pay off their student loans, and then give them a determined amount of money, some for fun, and some with the assignment of finding a charity they want to permanently  be involved in.



Charities? Oh, there are so many worthy ones, but my heart and money would belong to animal shelters.

SO, there it is. The ramblings of a very practical person allowed to daydream, scary! SO, back to the question   How would a massive lottery win change you besides the fact that lack of money would not be a problem any more?

After reading the above, I must say, I would be more responsible in what I consider my duties to the things I think are important. I did realize I can do much of this WITHOUT the money I thought I would need. Not having money can become an excuse not to do some things. However, I could sure have fun with a lottery win, for others as much as myself!

Bewitched?

My 20 something daughter #1 has become bewitched with Bewitched! It's like a metamorphasis to the 60's!

She has been getting the DVD's at the library and watching them all! She loves the 60's decor, and has become the equivalent of a Trekkie. It is so funny  to see her enamored of the stove on the Bewitched set.
                                                                          

                                                                               

I received an email from her yesterday that said,

 "I think I might need one of those Corningware percolators... :)"

I had to laugh and tell her I put that little item in the garage sale before she was even born, and bought the high tech, wonderful, new Mr. Coffee!

I called her and we giggled and looked at the Bewitched  web site together.

She also really liked the mixer on the back counter. I  pointed out the orange juice cans for hair rollers.  There were no hair curlers big enough for big smooth hairdos. Yes, we survived  before flat irons!

She said she also liked those swinging kitchen doors. My aunt had those in the 60's too! And  she thought the refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom was a novel idea.

The living room wall is a lot like my home with the brick fireplace and flanking bookcases. No bunnies at my house though.

Have some fun and reminisce at

                                                   http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/index.html 

                                                                                  

   I am also linking you to Hooked on Houses, a wonderful site, that has many pics of the Bewitched house.

              http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/10/04/a-bewitched-house-1164-morning-glory-circle/


             I am linking to Metamorphasis Monday at

                                                                               
                               Between Naps on the Porch.                      

Ready to Come out of Hibernation

Winter is NOT my favorite season. Living in Kansas, I looooong to live somewhere like southern California, or Arizona. And every year it happens. I start to hibernate. ((DISCLAIMER HERE:  I have been fortunate in life, nothing to REALLY complain about).  I take lots of Vitamin D, and one year I even went to tanning beds.  Loved it, but I know it's not good for me.  My mood declines, dry spell in antiquing and thriftng, and lately the books I have picked to read have been BORING. I feel like that groundhog back east! And I only did one blog entry. Boo!! February is my hated month. Then in March, I start to come out of it. Mom and I went to a greenhouse to look at all the beautiful blooming flowers, and brought home two cyclamen.

Yesterday I saw the daffodils coming out. If they can, I can.

March will be frustrating........

Cold and windy one day, temptingly warm on another, maybe an ice storm, maybe a tornado warning. But I will be back to fighting, fussing and cussing and trying to rush spring. I will paint my toes and get out all my flip flops on a rare 65 degree day.

 Each step wll  bring me closer to  the spring and summer that I LIVE for.There is always so much yard work to do. I will work myself to the point I can barely creep into the house from the yard in late afternoon......

                    .....take a shower and sit at the computer with a cold drink.

                                        OOPS! I mean....

                                                                               

            "If you build it, they will come"..... yep, I will be ready! THE BEST MOMENTS are coming!

The Great Blizzard of 2011 (not that great)

February 1 and 2, 2011 we got some snow. Not soooo much snow, but with 40 mile an hour winds and low temperatures, it's called a blizzard. Visibility was 1/4 mile, and it snowed about 8-10 inches, but we had 3-4 foot drifts.

I started snapping pics of the little stone rabbit in the hosta garden through the day.

Here's what he's suppposed to be surrounded by:

The snow was not very deep here, it blew away along this area.

Drifts against the 6 foot fence.

It's fun for a few minutes!

How ironic!! This is one of my daylily markers! Here's what is SUPPOSED to  be there.

And this is NOT....

This is......

Here's the only little guy that looks the same year around.

I am linking to Outdoor Wednesday today.

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/