June 13, 2008

Old Obsession(s)

I love other people's junk. I love places that sell other people's junk. I love the rush of delight you get when you find that perfect piece of other people's junk.

My friends know this about me, have humored me by accompaning me to various junk places, and have visited my apartment where old dressers, tables, utensils, etc., are used and arranged. My mom, my Aunt S., and to a large degree my sisters all share this love for used up, worn out, many times rusted over, chipped, sometimes musty smelling other people's junk.

Other people's junk is found in places like this: the Red Barn in Hermann, Mo. The yard is littered with stuff like old wash basins, bathtubs, a rusty child's racecar (that the kid would actually sit it), flower pots, crocks, rusted over outdoor water pumps, porcelein-topped tables, and on and on. The inside is packed to the gills with similar stuff and more.

Places like the Red Barn are everywhere in the Mid-West. Antique stores and flee markets with cheap junk are nearly a dime a dozen. I was always a little disappointed with East Coast junk shops. Their stuff usually wasn't "junky" enough and it sure was costly!

Out here I can barely contain myself, however. We visited the Red Barn yesterday and, of course, I found some cheap treasures I just couldn't live without. Like this 12-gallon crock that I am now the proud owner of...

I also found an antique pastry cutter and an old black trivet to put hot dishes on. I'm in ecstasy!

Other old stuff I'm obsessed with but didn't buy: biscuit cutters. Like the kind my grandma and mom used to use and I learned how to bake with.
Metal wash basins. Gotta have some.

Cow creamers. I already have one - and enough sense to know I don't need a whole herd - but I get all tingly everytime I see one.

And this...I absolutely long for this thing. I dream of having it in a backyard to wash vegetables from a garden in. Wait - back to reality! The yard and garden don't exist yet, which is why I am not the proud owner of a rusty double tub. Sigh.

Ok, this one's just for fun. Who remembers playing on these things?!

4 comments:

  1. I too love junk, but I like to make stuff with it. Like find a really cool rusty outdoor faucet and clean it up and make it into a bathroom faucet, etc. You know? For style. I love crocks too. I like old windows and mirrors.

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  2. I love those creamers, too. The Red Barn has been my favorite ever since I discovered, and your Dad tried to hide it from me:) Every once in a while I go out there, and the owner comes out and we try to figure out what pieces of junk can go together to make something unique. I got Uncle Mike an old wood plane from there for his birthday next tuesday. He liked it. Hey, girls, it sounds like a business forming, huh? Our back yard consists of some rusty items that will go into some neat gardens.

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  3. This post reminded me of how close I live to Luckett's now! YAY!!

    Miss you!
    Carrie

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  4. You sure take some great pictures, Kimberly. I love all of these. I'm glad you enjoyed the antiquing and junking venture that day. Carrie, Kimberly's told me about that place, and we never did make it there. Enjoy it!

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