Friday, October 1, 2010

There's Something About Clotheslines

I made a huge mistake the other day.  I oiled my clothesline pulley. I got out the WD40 and sprayed the moving parts. For weeks I had thought that the squeak it made was annoying.  Wrong. Oh, so wrong.

My clothesline now moves noiselessly.  And to my chagrin, in its silence it has lost its charm...its essence...its authenticity...its squeaky 'you know that sound in your soul' clotheslineness.

As a child growing up in the 50s, clotheslines were the norm.  One of my earliest memories was venturing to the ditch in front of our house where on that particular and every other Monday morning warm sudsy water poured out from my mother's washing machine.  The clothes would be hung on a long line that stretched to the end of the backyard. In winter, I can remember the clothes being frozen on the line, stiff and brittle with frosty ice.

I believe that clotheslines mark both a social and environmental evolution. There was a time when a clothes dryer was a status symbol, and the use of a clothesline an indication of lower economic status. Eventually dryers became the norm. I remember a time in suburban  Ottawa when clotheslines were actually banned as unsightly and inconvenient reminders of the reality of daily life.

And now, the 'green' generation has discovered that if you hang your laundry outside in the air and the wind and the sunshine, it will not only dry, but it will smell wonderful and, guess what, it's free!

Clotheslines also say something about the reality of the lives of women.  As a young stay-at-home mother I had time to hang my laundry on the line.  Later as a working mother, I depended upon my clothes dryer. Now, in my 50s, I again have the time to hang my laundry on the line, and cherish the sun and wind and intoxicating aroma of nature-dried laundry.

And there's another side to the clothesline that appeals to the little bit of obsessive-compulsive in all of us. It demands to be orderly: Sheets bisected and hung straight to dry, pillowcases following; towels arranged by size; shirts, underwear, socks, each grouped together. I'll be the first to admit that I have rehung items on my line because to my mind, they were obviously out of order.  (Question to self: Would men do this?)

I love my clothesline.  I love being out of doors to hang the laundry. I appreciate that I am blessed to have the time to make use of nature.  I revel in the wonderful aroma of freshly dried laundry.

There's just something about clotheslines....


Thursday, June 17, 2010

In the Gargoyle Garden

My gargoyle friends have a new home at Dead People's Stuff...a garden created just for them!  Don't let their looks fool you, they are thrilled to be together in the morning sun, and shaded from the afternoon heat.




 Although they roam Bloomfield at night, they always return home before sunrise, gathering at first light to guard the house by day. The secret to ensuring that your gargoyles return from their nocturnal wanderings is naming them: once they are named, they know they are a special part of your family, and will always be loyal.


This is Edgar.  He used to live atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Horace is very shy.


Bubba is a big boy, but he's afraid of spiders!



Guinevere is the only girl in the garden.


Oh Legalus! Love those Elfish ears!


Erminio is new.  His nickname is Soccerball. When I'm not looking I think he may sneak into the house to watch the World Cup, but I'm not sure....

Stop by and visit us sometime.  We are always happy to make new friends!

Christie Spring 2010



The Christie Antique show was great again this spring. The day was perfect and the crowd was large and enthusiastic!  A good time was had by all...lots of sales and happy customers!




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

French Country





A couple of years ago I became part of a group of women who organize a sale called French Country...a VERY upscale outdoor sale of antique, new and used goods. Here are a few pictures of our May sale.
The weather was uncooperative...very windy and rainy on Saturday. We tied the tents down to our vehicles overnight to keep them on the property!
But we always have a lot of fun, and sell a ton of marvelous things.




Prince Edward County now looks forward to our French Country Sale!



Thursday, April 29, 2010

The show season starts!

We set up today for the Prince Edward County Antique Show at the Crystal Palace in Picton from Friday April 30 to Sunday May 2.  I decided to showcase painted furniture this time...a nice fresh Spring look.  When we open tomorrow, I'll add baskets of flowers to the booth for a punch of colour and a reminder of the Summer bounty to come!









Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Your table is ready...

Monday was a good day at the auctions.  Started at 10 am at auctioneer Boyd Sullivan's auction in Milford (always a good time had by all) and ended at 9 pm south of Napanee at Neil Lambert's auction. Since we missed the ferry back to Picton from Hwy #33 by 10 yards, Terry and I had a nice half-hour walk in the night air looking out over Picton Bay and Adolphus Reach. A lovely way to end a long day!

Best buys of the day were these two tables.  Each is 8 feet long, one pine and one oak.  They will make fabulous dining or work tables.




I have cleaned both of them and they are ready to go.  I wish I could keep one as a sewing/cutting table! They are now in the store and waiting to go to the Prince Edward County Antique show at the end of the month, unless I sell them before then.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the rest of my finds!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

I live in a place where....

...my front lawn is on the busy Main Street of our village and my back lawn looks out on a century-old dairy barn and the old mill creek. 

...the bank is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 in the morning 'til 2 in the afternoon.

...the library is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and there are no library fines.

...the United Church still rings real church bells on ropes on Sunday morning.

...the post office ladies close every day for lunch.

...the best handmade ice cream in the world is made and sold within sight of my house.

...you can just give the last 4 digits of your phone number, and people know the rest from where you live.

...there are two operating dairy farms on the Main Street.

...I can buy the freshest of food at local farm markets.

...the local micro-brewery puts maple in their spring beer.

...neighbours get together to enjoy each other's company.

...we have a summer drive-in theatre, and $9.00 buys you 3 first run movies on a Saturday night.

...you can walk to the local pub at one end of the village or the award winning French restaurant at the other.

...lost dogs are walked home to their owners.

...visitors love to visit and I love to live.

I live in a place where friends meet.

I live in the village of Bloomfield, Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

When I'm not being an antique dealer.....

...I'm gardening.  I chose to consider the huge new fence on the front of our property as a challenge and have fun with it.  This is what it looked like during the summer of 2009.








Summer 2010 will see a sculpture by local artist Terry Williams gracing the garden, as part of Bloomfield's Art in Public Places program.  Can't wait!