AUTHOR: Monica Lee TITLE: Old stuff DATE: 8:31 AM ----- BODY:

Tom and I took a short road trip up to Maine a strolled through some antique malls. He comes by it naturally, raised in New England with a father that shopped flea markets and garage sales. His dad was the old guy in the flannel shirt offering you a quarter for a childhood toy that is now worth over $200. You should see the antique toys and postcards he has found. I just like to find little reminders of my childhood. My mother used to unpack all our Christmas ornaments and tell stories about her mother who passed away while mother was pregnant with me. Over the past few years, I have gathered vintage linens, and Shiny Brite ornaments, now I am into kitchen items. Can you believe I almost bought old Corning ware? I pick up just a few items at a time, they are now mingled in with the things my mother has given to me and I like it that way. This time I found old knitting books for $1 and I can’t wait to show them to the girls at my local knit shop. I picked some up for them; I actually think they might try a few of the patterns. The best collecting trip we had was in Scottsdale, AZ it was a huge Antiques mall that was full of stuff from the 20’s through 50’s. What does that make it “vintage”?

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