Category: Fun

I confess…I collect stuff. I can’t help it. A peek into the Man Cave reveals much about my obsessions.

Visitors will see an assortment of glass paperweights, a souvenir mug or two, my collection of stamped pennies—the kind that has been deposited into a machine at someplace like Niagara Falls or Panda Park. You would also find my collection of miniature automobiles, mostly 55 Chevy and FJ Cruisers.

There’s one collection in the Man Cave that you can’t miss…my collection of souvenir sewing thimbles. Yep, I said sewing thimbles. This all started thirty-five years ago when I bought one as a souvenir of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. A few months after that purchase, Helen (adorable wife) and I were in Disney World and I spotted a thimble with Mickey Mouse on it. Two thimbles make a collection I suppose and thus it began. It seemed harmless.  Thimbles are smaller than shot glasses, certainly smaller than beer mugs, and less obtrusive than tacky refrigerator magnets. I know about all of these because I have a collection of them too; although to a lesser degree than thimbles.

My thimble collection now totals 213 and growing. Most of my thimbles represent a town or state that I have visited while traveling. I’m not through traveling and I’m not through collecting thimbles either but they’re becoming hard to find since most souvenir stands and gift shops don’t stock them anymore. Therefore, I search for them during my favorite activity on road trips…browsing through flea markets.

Flea markets are dangerous territory for an incurable collector, but we’ve been through a bunch of them. I thought it might be fun to show Easin’ Along readers a few of the discoveries we’ve made while visiting some great ones. Listed below is our top ten, ranked in no certain order.

Stars Antiques – 526 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

This place is huge and it is loaded with stuff on two floors. We visit it every time we go to Hermosa Beach for a visit with our family and I have yet to find a thimble there. I did, however, make two purchases there that are treasures. The first was made about six years ago when our daughter-in-law was expecting our only grandson and I happened to notice a somewhat worn framed drawing of a little blonde boy kneeled in prayer. I couldn’t resist picking this up for the expectant Mom. It hangs in our grandson’s room to this day and the image bears a remarkable likeness to him.

I also purchased a framed print of two cartoons drawn by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin of his famous dogface soldiers, Willie and Joe. I loved Mauldin’s book Up Front, about the life of soldiers in the war and have read it more than once.

 

 

 

 

Main Street Antiques – 46 Main Street, Plymouth, MA 02360

Not only did I find thimbles in this large antique shop, I found a display case as well.  In it were a dozen thimbles representing places we visited while Easin’ up the East Coast and I took the plunge.  It now hangs on my wall (pictured, top of the page– lower right).  You can also see that it is now completely filled.

As I was leaving this store, I spotted a Mickey Mouse watch that I had to have (did I mention my watch collection?). At $35 I considered it a bargain.

Albertsons Antiques – International Falls, MN 56649

Helen collects Vaseline glass and has some nice pieces including candlesticks, small candy dishes, and plates among other items.  She spotted a pitcher in this quaint shop run by an eccentric old fellow in International Falls who drove a hard bargain.  In the end, this probably wasn’t genuine Vaseline glass, but we had fun browsing and, I found four thimbles that he let me have for the ridiculously low price (Mr. Albertson’s words) of $12.50.

Merchant’s Antiques – 320 N. Beaton St, Corsicana, TX 75110

We were flea market shopping with a purpose in mind.  While on our trip to Los Angeles in Sherman, our Cruise America RV, we discovered that the coffee pot we purchased at the Goodwill Store had fallen apart and we needed a replacement. We found one in this well-stocked store.  It was priced at eight bucks! We got it for seven…

Calby’s Collectibles – 45 Everett Street, Bryson City, NC 28713

We had just purchased Bertha, our travel trailer and decided it would be fun to decorate and furnish her from flea markets as much as possible.  We found just what we wanted for silverware with an eight piece place setting of Lady Doris that dated to 1929 at Calby’s Collectibles for an investment of $55. It polished up well and now rests in Bertha’s kitchen.

Door County Traders – 147 N. 3^rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

 

 

 

 

After we toured Lambeau Field and the home of the Green Bay Packers, I wanted a Packers sweat shirt (my usual winter attire) badly.  The problem was that at over $75, they were a bit too pricey for me. Soon thereafter we were in Sturgeon Bay, WI and I was snooping through this consignment shop for anything collectible and found my sweat shirt hanging on the wall. It was my size (XXL) and in excellent condition.  At $15.00, I couldn’t resist.

Sporting Treasures – 305 Market Street, Clinton, TN 37716

Definitely no thimbles here but if hunting, fishing, sports memorabilia, and decorations are your thing, this is the place. A link to this rich treasure trove is here and in the sidebar of Easin’ Along.

Alan’s Pawn – 510 Paint Town Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719

Pawn shops located across the street from a casino can make for some very worthwhile shopping. Alan’s Pawn bears more of a resemblance to an upscale jewelry store than a traditional pawn shop, but I suppose that jewelry has come in handy more than a few times after a string of bad luck at the craps table.  I wasn’t looking for jewelry, but I did find a generation 4 Apple TV for Bertha at a bargain price of $70.  A new one would run around $120. After I uploaded an update for this little dandy it operated great and is eagerly awaiting football on the ESPN app while on the road this fall.

 

 

Tribal Pawn & Gun – 44 Frontier Dr, Cherokee, NC 28719

 This is more in keeping with a traditional pawn shop. Inside there were rows of power tools and similar items.  I was just snooping around when I found a brand new Yeti style cooler that I bargained the manager down to $70 from $85. After a little “Googling” I found it to retail for around $116. I love it when that happens.

Key City Antiques – 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain, NC 28711

I’ve never bought anything there, but I visit this charming shop every other year when we attend a church retreat at the nearby Montreat Conference Center.

Honorable mention:

Art Fair – Brewster, MA

 

 

 

 

Not exactly a shop, but this experience was a wonderful way to spend the day on Cape Cod when the Labor Day traffic prevented us from going any further up the coast to the Cape Cod National Seashore. We didn’t buy anything here either, but we had a great time.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure as the old saying goes and, looking at another man’s junk is a great way for an old retired guy like me to go broke saving money. Nevertheless, it’s great retirement activity and it sure it makes Easin’ Along the road less traveled a lot more interesting.

See picture gallery for a larger version of the pictures shown above. Gallery follows this post on home page. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wilbur was probably the most loyal friend I ever had. With great sadness and eyes filled with tears, I said goodbye to him this week as he crossed the rainbow bridge.  Wilbur made that passage in much the same way he did everything else…with calm dignity.

Seventeen years ago Helen (adorable wife) and I moved into a new home that we had just completed on the lake and surrounded by trees.  It was early winter and a squadron of mice decided to move in with us and take over our basement. I was building several houses at that time and complained about the mice to a brick mason on one of our projects. Buddy, my brick mason friend, lived in one of the nearby farming communities and offered me one of the thirty feral cats that he fed daily as a way of bringing the mice under control.

Always a cat lover, I thought long and hard about his offer. The problem was that Helen had professed a strong disdain for cats and convincing her to allow one into her new home would be a real challenge. At the end of the work day, I returned to Buddy and said I would accept his offer, but I had three specifications for a cat. First, the cat had to be an ardent supporter of the Tennessee Volunteers and therefore it needed to be Orange and White. Second, the cat had to have the potential to be BIG.  No scrawny wimps would be tolerated. Third, if the new addition did not work out or if Helen put her foot down, Buddy would allow me to bring it back to his feeding station. He said he thought he had just what we needed.

Several weeks passed and I had all but forgotten about my discussion with Buddy, but one Sunday morning Helen and I returned home from church to find a large cage on our front porch.  Inside the cage calmly sat an orange and white cat.  On top of the cage was a note that read “My name is Tom and I’m yours”!

Tom was a mess. Hair was missing on one-third of his body from mange.  Blood and other junk were seeping from his nose, and fleas were having a field day on his naked skin. Nevertheless, there was something very appealing about this orange mess.  When he was released from the cage, I expected him to run for the woods, but instead, he walked over and began rubbing his head on my pants leg as he chattered away in a low mutter. He had me from hello. Helen’s nurturing instincts took over immediately and said we needed to get him to a Vet and get him cured of his ailments. Thankfully, that was the only discussion we had about allowing him to join the family.

Being that it was a Sunday, there were no Vet clinics open so I confined our new friend to the basement and went to buy some cat food, a water bowl, kitty litter and litter box. Helen placed an old blanket on the basement floor as a bed. The next morning I opened the basement door to gather Tom and take him to the Vet. Sitting on the top step, was a cat and a half-eaten mouse.  I assumed he was giving me a deposit on the rent and the Vet bill.

It was a good thing because the trip to the Vet was expensive.  After treatments for mange, a respiratory infection, de-worming, and neutering, I was left holding a tab for over $400. There was no way that this cat was going anywhere until our basement was free of rodents. He was officially ours and put to work immediately. The veterinarian estimated his age to be about three years.

Over time, this arranged adoption worked out extremely well. From the day he returned from the veterinarian, he was my constant companion and followed me around like a lovesick puppy. Because he was constantly talking to us, he was given the name Wilbur from the owner of the TV talking horse of the 50’s.  Helen loved the way he chattered away and it gave her someone to talk to in the mornings when I was still in the non-contact zone. For someone who never liked cats, she soon was admittin’ to being smitten with this kitten.

Wilbur was polydactyl, meaning that he was born with six toes on his front paws as opposed to the five toes of normal cats. He also had an extra dew claw between his thumb and first toe. Mice, once caught, never had a chance with Wilbur, and within months we never saw another one in our basement. He also did a number on moles, chipmunks, and even small rabbits in our yard.  This cat was born to hunt. Surprisingly, he gave birds their distance.  I always supposed that Helen had laid down the law to him in their morning conversations.

Laid back but never lazy, Wilbur went through mice and Meow Mix in a frenzy and his weight soon ballooned from 14 to over 26 pounds.  His mange went away quickly and he was blessed with a shining orange coat and a shimmering white patch across his chest.  I was blessed with the big cat I always wanted. Wilbur was a real stud…metaphorically speaking. Although we had five animals in our household, Wilbur took the “Best Pet” trophy almost every month.

His ability to capture mice notwithstanding, it was his charm that warmed Wilbur to everyone.  He was a people cat.  Unlike most cats that are indifferent and downright disagreeable, Wilbur never met a stranger.  After we downsized to a smaller home, I was concerned as to how he would react in a neighborhood with a lot of folks out walking the streets. My concerns were unfounded.  Wilbur soon got to know everyone and sought out anyone who would permit him to rub his head on their ankles as he had always done to me. 

Time marched on and seventeen years after arriving at our doorstep as an orphan, Wilbur, at age 20, began to let us know that it was time to say goodbye.  Instead of sleeping on our feet and leading me to the treat basket the first thing every morning, he began sleeping in a closet.  His weight dropped precipitously to around 12 pounds, and suddenly he did the one thing he had never done–he stopped using his litter box. Time and kidney failure had taken a toll.

On Monday of this week, knowing that the inevitable was coming, I did everything imaginable to avoid making a call to the Vet who had first treated him so long ago.  Finally, I placed the call, made an appointment, and cried all the way there.  We diverted to pass by our former home where he first came to us. I suppose it was to recall some great days and perhaps another way of stalling for more time.  

I entered the veterinarian’s office where I was greeted warmly by the staff who spoke in hushed tones.  The Veterinarian led me to an office and left me alone with Wilbur for a few minutes together.  When he returned, he was extremely comforting to me and incredibly and professionally humane to Wilbur.  Within a few minutes Wilbur passed quietly, and my loyal friend was now a memory.

So long, Wilbur, we’ll try Easin’ Along without you.

It is so very strange not having him around…I miss him more than I can put into words.

Special thanks are extended to Dr. Bihl and Volunteer Veterinary Clinic for many years of professional care for our animals and for the kind comfort extended to me this week during a very difficult situation. We remain eternally grateful.