And She SCORES
2004-10-12, 10:03 a.m.

Tuesday�s fortune:

Travel to appease your restlessness.

A bit late, ya think?

After being GONE ALL WEEK I�m as restless as a tub of jello. Shut up and hand me the remote.

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It�s raining. Blecch. It�s supposed to rain tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday. Double blecch. On Friday I am supposed to go on Son�s field trip to the pumpkin patch, and then back to school for a picnic. Rain, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease go away by Friday so we can have pumpkin-pickin�-hot-dog-eatin� fun.

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I�m sitting here admiring my pre-beach trip SCORE. Attracted to a big neighborhood yard sale Saturday before last, I made it to the first house, where the heavens parted and the angels began to sing.

I bought my very first piece of Heywood Wakefield. A pristine early 50�s china cabinet. For $50.

This little house was built in the mid-50�s, and Hubby and I are trying to furnish it with period pieces, the �atomic 50�s� kitschy Jetsony stuff. Like you could picture Rock Hudson and Doris Day partaking of cocktails and charming banter in the living room. We love Heywood Wakefield and similar makers, for the furniture�s clean lines and mod space agey look; our budget, however, does not share our sense of style. So when I walked into that first garage, saw this GORGEOUS PERFECT piece of furniture, and then spotted the price tag, I was speechless. Literally. I stood there and sputtered until the lady began to laugh at me. I could barely squeak out, �I�ll take the cabinet.� Earlier in the morning, a gentleman had given her the names of various antique dealers who would have given her a tidy sum, but she said she would first rather see if someone would come along who really wanted the cabinet and would appreciate it. She took me turning pink in her garage as her sign. She is in the process of redoing her kitchen, and will let me know when she�s ready to sell the accompanying table and chairs as well. *insert hyperventilation here*

I set new land speed records going home to get Hubby to load it in our truck. Ironically, I had to wait while he finished watching Blast From The Past, the d�cor of which set him squarely in retro mode. (He has not always been fond of antiques, so this is delicate new territory for him.) FINALLY we made it back to the lady�s house. While I was wrapping the glass shelves in newsprint, he spotted her pewter pieces for sale. She told him she got them the same time as the furniture, when she and her husband were married in the early 1950�s. Hubby said, �You can�t have the cabinet without the stuff that goes in it!� and bought all the pewter, AND her two vintage 50�s folding chairs. I nearly fell over. This is the same three-dollar-light-bulb-cheapskate, and he�s buying us vintage pewter serving pieces ($10 each). They�re lovely, a streamlined tea and coffee service with sugar and creamer and tray, one tall candlestick, and one futuristic tripod-style candelabra. They just scream Sputnik. The folding chairs have their original vinyl seats, completely unblemished. I have them at the bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.

Total bucks we dropped? $150.

I looked up the china cabinet online. I found one similar but smaller. $3500.

Yes. That�s THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED dollars.

And I haven�t looked up the pewter yet.

No, I will never, ever sell them. If we are starving we can eat some weeds out of the flower beds. If we can�t afford clothes we will run nekkid. But we will be streaking herbivores with Heywood Wakefield furniture. I have my priorities, ya know.

I cannot end without telling you about the cherry on my Saturday sundae. Still walking on an atomic cloud from the yard sale score, I went to H@stings to get some books and magazines for our trip. Lo and behold, what do I spy amongst the periodicals but Atomic Ranch ! Brand-spankin� new, only the third issue. Last one on the shelf. MINE. ALL. MINE.

I think I have it memorized by now.

It is simply too cool for words.

My mom is getting me a subscription for Christmas.

I am a happy girl.

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