Hello lovely friends!
August brings us monsoon season and fresh roses galore.
Candy colored goodness.
And so begins a second sort of spring in the high desert that lasts well into autumn.
I think I'm stretching the midsummer title, but for us in the desert, it's still summer for a good long while.
Thank you for such a bright and festive mad tea party season.
As many of you know, our resident mad hatter had a garden accident on the morning of the party.
Fancy trying to chop your arm off on my one funnest tea day of the year, oops!
So, we ended up celebrating in the ER where he got all stitched up.
I'll spare you any gory details but all the docs wanted a peek.
Shark week was all I had to say about it, haha!
He's fine and healing well.
I've been so busy with so much this and that of life.
Hopefully I'm back on track now.
I hope you all had a wonderful time at the party and enjoyed visiting one another.
I decided that in the lingering spirit of the Cheshire cat and mad tea times I would share a fun story with you.
It's a tale about a kitty kat.
A kitty in a painting no less.
How apropos, nooo?
You see, there is an antique store I like to visit quite often.
It has many rooms and nooks and crannies.
You have to stay there a very long time in order to enjoy it fully.
I try to pop in once a week.
There was this one day, when I made it all the way back to the farthest most hidden room, that I met him...
The kitty having tea.
You should know, this was a huge painting I spied on a wall.
And really, you'd have to be utterly committed to the subject matter in such a piece to bring it home.
Mostly due to its sheer size.
Yet for some reason it beckoned me.
It also exhibits a vast quirkiness that is trying to act serious, which totally made me giggle.
But the most important factor is that...
I quite fancy myself a crazy cat lady.
Although I'd like to say that, I never really quite understood that title given to lovers of felines.
What's crazy about cats?
What's crazy about people who find they like cats better than anyone else?
And I tell you this quite honestly...
If I was not cursed with the gravest cat allergy know to man, I would certainly be the mother to all the cats I could.
(In fact I was the mother to a few outdoor cats in my lifetime, including Casey who lived 14 years with my parents. We found out about my dander allergy on my first trip to a pet store at 5. Hives and wheezing and a swollen lip, so sad)
Big giant fluffy fat cats to be certain.
And I would be proud to call myself a crazy cat lady.
Mostly because crazy cat ladies are fabulous + animal lovers.
And so...
I fell hard for what I am calling The Crazy Cat lady painting.
With roses to boot!
I wish there were 4 more cats in the piece so that it would really deserve that name.
But we all know that certain kitties have personalities that only one household can handle.
And this kitty looks like he rules the roost.
Maybe I should rename it The Sensible Cat Lady Painting?
Whatever the case may be, I veer.
And so I found myself in a big hidden room with the cat painting.
Filled with flowers and vintage sorts of things that I love.
For two months I visited the painting.
Always running to the back room to see if it was still there.
The main reason I never inquired about it was that it didn't have a price and each booth belongs to different vendors.
I thought, it must be more expensive than I think.
It's kind of a fabulous painting, but very silly too in its own way.
It's not museum quality I understand, but it's charmingly overdone and funny and I love that about it.
So, how much could it be really?
I settled on the fact that it was probably $275 or maybe $425.
One never knows these things.
Depending on the setting and vibe, it could fetch quite a hefty sum with the right buyers interested.
Couldn't it?
:-)
But the hugeness made it impossible for me to guess correctly.
And so, I settled on the fact that, it was probably too expensive for me to neeeed a giant piece as such.
And so I stalked and stalked it.
Stalked it like mad.
Stalked it every Saturday.
Until on this one very curious day, a cute gal was filling the shelves of this booth whilst chatting in what seemed like a serious conversation with a man.
I noticed the cat painting wasn't up anymore?
Where could it be?!
I scoured the room, then I saw him, on his side, frame falling apart.
Should I ask? Should I walk away?
Okay, I'll ask.
Excuse me I said, this cat painting here...
Yes, said the gal.
Is it yours?
Yep.
Ummm, is it for sale? I never saw a price on it, I say.
Then the girl says to me...
Well, you know, I was going to paint over it!!!
(My brain = WHATTT??!!! Noooo!)
No, not "my" crazy cat painting I thought.
Then I thought for a second, about how much I was willing to pay?
And how I should be frugal especially when I have no good space for a giant cat painting.
But it's in a wooden white porch, with teatime, and wicker furniture....!!!!!
That counts for something doesn't it?
Then I ask her, would you sell it?
And she says, the fact is, some girls I know found it on the street.
Someone had thrown it out.
(what?!)
Then she says, in fairness I can sell it to you for what I bought it from them for.
But they only picked it up for me so I could paint over it she says.
And I'm nodding.
Aha, yes, okay.
How much?
Cuanto, dinero, tell me please.
Do I need to put back my huge pile of treasures waiting at the sales counter in order to bring this baby home?
Don't look at me like that cat :-)
And then she says something so magical I almost die.
I literally (don't you hate when people say that?) almost die.
She says, if you want it you can have it for 5 dollars.
Wait wait wait!!??!!
Did you say five dollars?
Cinco?
Dolares?
Gulptastic!
YESSSS!!
I want it.
Give it to me.
It's miiiiiiine.
(I try to act as calm as possible, and I say, really? Yes yes, I would love to buy it)
Of course I want the quirkiest, silliest, funniest painting that's trying to be serious, like for SURE!
I think to myself, I'm the luckiest girl alive, the thrifting Gods must really really looove me!
;-)
And soooo.
I am the proud owner of a five foot long painting that I have no space for and love madly.
Every man who I have told this story to, and then shown the painting to, stares at me in perturbed bewilderment.
They don't get it.
They think it's awful beyond.
But pray tell, do you spy what I spy?
The quirky wonderful goodness of my crazy cat lady painting??
Please don't tell me it's your painting and you only set it on the side of the road by accident and now you want it back.
Haha!
Now some of you might find it charming and quirky as I did, or you might just find it awfully wonderful, emphasis on awful. I'm curious to hear your take.
For some reason my photos look blurry, but if you click on them they look clear.
Not sure what's up with that.
But there you go.
My Cheshire cat spirited 5 dollar treasure.
What says you on the topic?
I'm not sure what the thriftventure gods were trying to do to me.
I am already committed to the junk hauling cause.
Hauling it home that is ;-)
Sigh....
Good times in the desert.
Oh and, I wonder what his name is?
Anywho...
I better run because Miley is in a cone and I am on nurse duty.
I seem to be on nurse duty all the time these days.
Which I don't mind at all actually.
Especially for my fur baby.
Hope you're doing grand!!
xoxo!
ps: In the spirit of Jon Secada Friday (the title I gave to my Friday night blast to the past music session with my sister) I leave you with Bryan Ferry. Because Legend and Bryan and Love and who needs anything else really? ;-)
<3
