Years ago, when we used to visit quaint little towns with quaint little shops and antique stores, there was one store in New Hope, Pennsylvania we would always frequent. Sometimes we were just browsing and other times we made purchases, a wedding gift, a fancy bird feeder for the backyard.
I have a few chickens and roosters in my kitchen. They have accumulated over the years. Some were gifts. One large rooster came from this very store in New Hope. It was not expensive at all, especially considering its size. So, there I was browsing in this store and I saw two small guinea hens. They were adorable. I considered getting both but realized I only had the perfect spot for one, so with difficulty, I chose the one I favored the most.
I brought the cute little hen up to the very pleasant gentleman behind the counter. I had seen him several times before and we even had a few chats in the past. As he was wrapping up the cute little hen and entering the price into the register, I turned to pull out some cash...after all, how much could it be? It was a good thing my back was turned when he said, "That will be ninety dollars and 46 cents." !!!!! I felt like a cartoon character with my eyes popping out of my head. I quickly stuffed the money back in my wallet and pulled out my credit card. Choke. Gag.
The very nice gentleman was then telling me that these hens were completely hand made and painted by a local artist and now there was only one left. (Yes, I knew that....thank heavens I didn't take them both!) I made a mental note to myself that from then on I would check anything decorative for a signature and ask the price before boldly marching up to the counter. My husband was slightly annoyed and needled me about it for a bit but not too badly.
So here we are in Italy. We left a whole bunch of stuff behind. We realized that we now have no centerpiece for our dining room table. I love that room, we love having our dinners in there because the window by the table looks out at the sky and the town and the hills beyond. I think in this house it is my favorite room.
We began to go on a quest for a vase since we left the previous one behind. Why did we do that? Because of space considerations and the fact that the vase was really cheap, had no sentimental value and there was no sense in having it take up precious space.
We saw a verdigris vase/pitcher at a housewares store in town. Hmmmm. Maybe. Let's think about it. A couple of days later we decided it would work just fine and went back to the store but the vase was gone. "You snooze, you lose." I said, "No matter. We will find something one day."
Then we wandered into another housewares/gift shop. I have an LED candle from this store that looks remarkably real when turned on. It was only 8 euros. I also bought a wonderful ceramic pan there that I use nearly every day. Ok, let's look around. Too big. Too small. Too white. Too elaborate. There was one my husband liked but I thought it might be too "sophisticated." I was still fixated on something resembling a pitcher. Hmmmm. Maybe. Let's think about it.
A couple of days later it dawned on me that the vase he saw was perfect. It had the same colors as the previous one and was the right size. We decided it would work just fine and went back to the store.
My husband stayed outside because we had a rolling cart of groceries plus a bag - too cumbersome to bring into a store full of glass objects. He handed me 20 euros. I was thinking that might not be enough and he said, "How much can it be?" Ahhhhh….I'm remembering cute little hen...….
I marched back, located the vase (Yes, it is perfect) and checked the bottom. Sure enough....it's way more than twenty. It's sixty. It is also hand made glass, like Murano. It has a card inside in four languages explaining it was hand made in Firenze (Florence) by master glass artists. Snarfle. I take it to the counter, bank card in hand. I wonder what my husband will say.....but he is not annoyed. His response was that Murano costs twice as much and we don't need another thing at his point. Not until we get the back room sorted out properly. Well, yay. Feeling just a little more like home.
I have a few chickens and roosters in my kitchen. They have accumulated over the years. Some were gifts. One large rooster came from this very store in New Hope. It was not expensive at all, especially considering its size. So, there I was browsing in this store and I saw two small guinea hens. They were adorable. I considered getting both but realized I only had the perfect spot for one, so with difficulty, I chose the one I favored the most.
I brought the cute little hen up to the very pleasant gentleman behind the counter. I had seen him several times before and we even had a few chats in the past. As he was wrapping up the cute little hen and entering the price into the register, I turned to pull out some cash...after all, how much could it be? It was a good thing my back was turned when he said, "That will be ninety dollars and 46 cents." !!!!! I felt like a cartoon character with my eyes popping out of my head. I quickly stuffed the money back in my wallet and pulled out my credit card. Choke. Gag.
The very nice gentleman was then telling me that these hens were completely hand made and painted by a local artist and now there was only one left. (Yes, I knew that....thank heavens I didn't take them both!) I made a mental note to myself that from then on I would check anything decorative for a signature and ask the price before boldly marching up to the counter. My husband was slightly annoyed and needled me about it for a bit but not too badly.
So here we are in Italy. We left a whole bunch of stuff behind. We realized that we now have no centerpiece for our dining room table. I love that room, we love having our dinners in there because the window by the table looks out at the sky and the town and the hills beyond. I think in this house it is my favorite room.
We began to go on a quest for a vase since we left the previous one behind. Why did we do that? Because of space considerations and the fact that the vase was really cheap, had no sentimental value and there was no sense in having it take up precious space.
We saw a verdigris vase/pitcher at a housewares store in town. Hmmmm. Maybe. Let's think about it. A couple of days later we decided it would work just fine and went back to the store but the vase was gone. "You snooze, you lose." I said, "No matter. We will find something one day."
Then we wandered into another housewares/gift shop. I have an LED candle from this store that looks remarkably real when turned on. It was only 8 euros. I also bought a wonderful ceramic pan there that I use nearly every day. Ok, let's look around. Too big. Too small. Too white. Too elaborate. There was one my husband liked but I thought it might be too "sophisticated." I was still fixated on something resembling a pitcher. Hmmmm. Maybe. Let's think about it.
A couple of days later it dawned on me that the vase he saw was perfect. It had the same colors as the previous one and was the right size. We decided it would work just fine and went back to the store.
My husband stayed outside because we had a rolling cart of groceries plus a bag - too cumbersome to bring into a store full of glass objects. He handed me 20 euros. I was thinking that might not be enough and he said, "How much can it be?" Ahhhhh….I'm remembering cute little hen...….
I marched back, located the vase (Yes, it is perfect) and checked the bottom. Sure enough....it's way more than twenty. It's sixty. It is also hand made glass, like Murano. It has a card inside in four languages explaining it was hand made in Firenze (Florence) by master glass artists. Snarfle. I take it to the counter, bank card in hand. I wonder what my husband will say.....but he is not annoyed. His response was that Murano costs twice as much and we don't need another thing at his point. Not until we get the back room sorted out properly. Well, yay. Feeling just a little more like home.
You can’t help yourself, June! You obviously have a good eye and excellent taste!
ReplyDeleteIt's not so good for my bank account! LOL
ReplyDelete