Thrifting Treasure

To avoid filling the house up with clutter, I've implemented the $10 rule for my thrifting adventures. $10 is the maximum I allow myself to spend on any one trip. Sometimes of course, serendipity will place something in front of you that fits so perfectly into your life and for just the right price, that the only thing to do is throw that rule right out the window, ask the ladies to hold it, and dash home for more money. But for the most part, it works. Case in point: Tuesday, Kate and I ventured up to our favorite treasure digging spot. I ended up spending a total of $3. The $3 was for a little pop-up tent for Kate to play with in the back yard. Granted, I wasn't intending to buy a tent when I went up there, but the squeals of joy that have come from the hours spent playing with that tent have definitely been worth $3. But the real treasure was yet to come.

As I was checking out, one of the ladies from the back storage room came to the front to ask the other lady about some books that had just been donated. She was wondering what to do with them because they were so old. She said most of them were from the1890s, and not in very good condition, so she supposed she would just throw them out.

Well, of course I immediately asked if I could look at them, because I have a longstanding love affair with old books. I went back with her to look at them. There were seven books in all, and they were exquisite. Antique books are truly works of art: the ornate cover decorations and the vibrant gilt. I don't believe any of them were first editions, but they were all from the 1890s, and given their age, not really in such terrible shape after all. I told her I would very much like to buy them.

At which point, she put them in a bag for me, and told me to just take them, since she was going to throw them out anyway. I couldn't believe it, and told her I would be more than happy to pay for them, but she insisted.

So that's how I wound up with seven gorgeous antique books, that are going to look just perfect on our mantle (after I give them a thorough and careful perusing; a few of the titles I was unfamiliar with and they looked fascinating). At first I couldn't help but feel a little guilty, even though I had offered to pay for them. But, I do donate a lot of things to the shop (mostly loud, modern, plastic toys given to Kate by well-meaning friends and family, which I'm sure sell well), so I suppose I'll just consider it good thrifting karma (never underestimate the power of karma in the thrifting world), and not worry about it. :)

On an unrelated note, we'll be headed up the mountain to Boone this weekend, to visit Mark's family. It's always a nice trip, and hopefully the higher elevation will mean a few degrees cooler temperature which would be a relief from this unrelenting heat. And it's only June!