Thrift Shopping

A little reading music, to enhance the experience

I am a long-time fan of thrift shops, flea markets, garage sales, items left on people's lawns with "free" signs taped to them, etc.  My entire house has been furnished this way.  I wouldn't say that I am poor -- I have a full-time job, I'm not getting government assistance of any kind.  I like to call myself one of the "monetarily challenged" members of society.  I work, I pay my bills, but the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to so you have got to save where you can.  Hence, my love of thrift shops and upcycling items.

I scored three great things today!  One of them is so incredibly awesome that I fell in love with it immediately.  We'll save that for last, shall we?  Let the suspense build.

First, I found a cool denim vest/jacket thing at the SPCA thrift store.  Helping animals and getting new clothes -- bonus!  I think it might be for a guy, but it has pockets and is long enough to wear sort of like a tunic (well, on me it is, maybe not on taller folks).  Winning!

 Trying to get a full-length shot with the pockets, and failing

Excellent leather-feeling collar that pops up quite nicely

Next stop was a consignment shop in Hyde Park.  (I think I left consignment shops out of my list of ways I furnished my home.  My bad.  They are fantastic as well, no disrespect intended.)  The two most spectacular finds of the day were scored here.  

First, you should know that I collect nutcrackers.  I have an ever-growing family of them that I put out at Christmas time.  Today, I added a new member to the family:

Isn't she exquisite?

My mother wanted to know why I would want a nutcracker that was dressed like a drag queen.  Say what? Hello, it is obviously the Bride of Frankenstein!  Just look at her hair.

So obvious.

And now, prepare to be overwhelmed by an avalanche of awesomeness!  I fell in love with this little guy immediately!  I snatched him off of the shelf, and I may have been petting him as I continued looking through the store.  He is so fantastically adorable that I don't know how the seller could bear to part with him.

Is he not the cutest little yak you have ever seen? (It was labeled yak, that's how I know.)

OMG so cute and fuzzy!

Right now I have my new yak friend sitting on a shelf in a china cabinet.  I have to find him a safe place to live.  If I leave him out unprotected on a remotely cat-reachable area I know Jazz-kitty will maul him.  She redecorates things on a fairly regular basis.

That is a  good day's hunting.  Where else are you going to find such great things? 

And for those curious -- all together still under $20.  

  

In which I have a hobby...

I have a hobby.  I like to go to cemeteries and take pictures of the gravestones, statues, mausoleums, etc.  It fascinates me to see how things change over time.  Cemeteries are also very peaceful for walking.

Some people find my hobby a bit creepy and weird.  I'm okay with that.  Not everyone is going to appreciate my fascination with the different symbols, nor will they see the beauty in the carving or the elegant decay of the weathering.

I'm not a fan of people dying.  It's a part of life we will all experience at some point, but I understand that people don't necessarily enjoy being reminded of it.  I'm not out to disturb anything or make light of it.  Each grave and marker represents a life lived, someone's family member or friend, and they deserve respect.

I'm going to share a link to some of my photos from different cemeteries and grave sites now.  If this is going to disturb you in any way, then please don't feel the need to click on the links. 

The photos are all in albums I have on Facebook.  I do believe I have them all set properly to be viewed by the public.  I'm not going to be able to tell if they work for you or not, so please comment if I need to fix anything. I've also included links to the websites of the places where the photos were taken, in case anyone else wishes to go there.

Let's start with the most recent batch, shall we?  I took these this afternoon, on a rare Sunday when I did not have to work.  They are all from St. Peter's Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, New York.  You can learn a bit about the cemetery here.

St. Peter's Cemetery

The next album is from Halloween 2010.  There are a bunch of photos from Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.  There also also some photos from the Haunted Huguenot Street tour in New Paltz, NY that included the cemetery.  (You will have to cut me some slack on the Huguenot St. batch.  Flash photography wasn't allowed, and the tour was a night.  The crappy job focusing you can totally blame on me.)

Sleepy Hollow & Huguenot St.

On Easter, my parents and I went for a walk at the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  The gravestone for FDR and Eleanor is there.

FDR

Lastly, there are some taken a few years ago in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, which isn't really rural at all anymore, and is on one side of the main highway.  As a bonus, you also get to see some photos of my tour on Bannerman Island and a few from Olana.

Hudson Valley Photos

I'm trusting you not to be stalkers, friends.  If you feel the overwhelming urge to be snoopy and try to see other albums on FB, there are only a few that aren't set to block the general public.  If you would like to be my FB friend, please send a request and a message.  I don't randomly add people without having a good reason.