dandelionroads

Several weeks after planting seeds and transplanting seedlings- that had been started indoors (see previous post)- into the garden, things are looking good.  We have had cool weather here in Houston, unseasonably cool this week, which means growth has slowed down.  Despite that, I have 65 tomato plants 1 to 3 feet tall and very healthy.

Green Beans, Yellow Wax Beans, Cucumbers, Carrots, Radishes and Beets all pushing through the soil to find the sun.  Transplants of swiss chard, snap peas, peppers, and varieties of herbs and lettuce are growing on….

Our first tomato has formed and it is the Cherokee Purple Grafted.  A new option for tomato plants became available this year identified as Grafted Tomatoes –brand name Mighty Matoes.  Similar to the approach used with antique roses, heirloom tomato varieties are grafted to rootstock that is disease resistant, a higher yield producer and generally performs well in your climate.  End Result= Great tasting heirloom tomato, with higher yields and healthier plants….we shall see…

And the strawberry fairy has arrived, hopefully he will help our 8 plants give us a few berries to eat in the garden while we work

After such good finds at Artichoke Annie’s, we made one final stop.  We visited the Lonestar (apropos since I am from Texas) Antique Mall. We stopped in Cuba, Missouri and found several nice things including old books, ironstone and old advertising pieces. We also found a wicker/wood rocking chair and a vintage cement cherub.

I am avid collector of old things and odd things, repurposed, well-loved and handmade things.    The sense of sharing something across time and across the country makes antique hunting very appealing, almost magnetic. Seems as though Missouri and Kansas have their fair share of pull when it comes to finding the good stuff.

Pictures of Some of the Good Stuff….

Greenhouse Sign for my Kitchen

Fruit Stand Table for my studio

He may be selling something but I will use him in some creepy Halloween art

One more slightly creepy doll for my collection

Vintage Store Rack for my studio

Yo Yo Quilt in lovely colors

Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo …

Peculiar Shelf with two tree branch pegs but an oh so lovely citron color

Never used quaker lace tablecloth, original price tag (no barcodes) is 9.00 dollars

One lovely green quilt

Ice Cream Cone holder, for those days when lots of cones are needed

Great old wood frame…great to juxtaposition with mixed media

small white side table for my daughter

never enough oil paintings

love old watch fobs, make great bracelets

tin types galore

a vintage medal with all the bars added for band, religion, bowling, etc, I think it will make a great bracelet for me…need my soldering iron

A Christmas Box to be filled

There are a number of stories and legends behind Missouri’s sobriquet “Show-Me” state. The slogan is not official, but is common throughout the state and is used on Missouri license plates.

The most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Missouri’s U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1897 to 1903. While a member of the U.S. House Committee on Naval Affairs, Vandiver attended an 1899 naval banquet in Philadelphia. In a speech there, he declared, “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.

And Show Me they did…After several false starts and driving from 9am to 6pm we finally found one of the greatest antique malls–ever.

Artichoke Annie’s on I-70 outside of Columbia was huge, crammed full of quality goods and very helpful people.  Every booth was interesting and it made choosing what to and how much to buy difficult.  A delicious predicament.

The Show Me State Delivers

We spent 8 ours inside this antique mall and could have spent more.  Quality Quality Quality!

Choose your Carriage or Buggy as we say in the south.  These are your shopping carts for the duration of your stay.

Shopping Carts Artichoke Annie Style

The goods that got away.

The lovely green quilt that got away

Ready Set Fill.

Some of the wonderful items I acquired included:

A vintage ice cream cone holder/rack, a berry sorting table, 2  quilts, an Edwardian gold filled necklace, gifts for my family, an entire collection of bugs, moths and butterflies curated by someone named Danny Horlick (we think he grew up to be a etymologist), old frame with wavy glass, several bags of tatted lace, a vintage sign advertising a garden center, folk art carved and painted big wood arrow and more….

Pictures to come, for now my feet are up, and I am planning for tomorrows hunt.

I am a lineman for the county

and I drive the main road

searching in the sun for another overload….

We are in Wichita hence my Glen Campbell tribute.  Though the lines about driving the main road and searching for another overload are very true when you think we drove hundreds of miles through Kansas with antique overload as our destination.

Saturday we criss-crossed the Wichita area shopping at Legacy Antiques, Old Town Architectural Salvage and the mecca of all antique malls–Paramount Antique Mall.  We spent 4 hours at Paramount and did not finish all of the booths and rows of the good stuff.

As part of this road trip we are checking the Guy’s Diner, Drive-ins and Dives site for any locations in our path.  We discovered Brint’s Diner and checked it out.  In the middle of lunch, I spouted a nosebleed that had everyone in the diner passing out.  Pretty much put a damper on eating lunch, the staff was very nice and gave me ice and towels.  However, the diners in their booths were covering their children’s eyes and looking at me like I had just gone 10 rounds.

We found several nice items and I have plans for each of them.  After Wichita we are heading for Abilene and then on to Topeka…I guess we really are “the  linewomen” checking for any opportunity to “overload”.

Old Basket, Tin and the thingamajig that teachers use to make circles on the chalkboard.

Teeny Tiny Wire-Bound Composition Notebook soon to be necklace

More Vintage Children’s Books for my collection

Never enough old photos

Ready Set Go

On Friday we loaded up the cargo van and headed for Oklahoma City.  Adventures come in all shapes and sizes and Day One was mostly about holiday traffic and the Casinos on the Indian Reservations.  We had no idea that so many people and their cars could hold a highway hostage for so long.  Miles and miles of cars waiting to get to the casinos turned our 7 hour trip into 9 or 10.

Before we left a couple of others wanted to join the trip.

We want to ride tooooo