Antiques and Fleas

Sam and I just got back home from shopping at a couple of antique/flea markets in our downtown area. It's so beautiful down there and although there are mostly antique stores and a few cafes down there, it does take me back to my childhood in Texas when my mother and I would go shopping. The only place to go shopping back then was downtown and I recall vividly how everything looked and mostly smelled. Do you remember the hot summer days when you would walk through those heavy glass doors (which were kind of yellow-tinted) and the cold air would hit you in the face? And the smell....it was new clothes/leather smelling and intoxicating to me. There was always the gumball machine sitting there by the entrance and I loved dropping my penny into the silver slot and pushing the little lever from one side to the other and wondering what color would pop out....my favorite being either red or blue. Those were such sweet days. Anyway, back to my shopping trip. We were on a mission - I want a ceramic Christmas tree. We didn't have one when I was little but Sam's family did and his mom still has two of them left. They are so cute and colorful and nostalgic. My dear mother-in-law isn't going to part with them any time soon so I would like to find one of my own. We didn't have any success today, though, but I did come across an old recipe book that is full of clippings and handwritten recipes. I just peeked at a few of them and realized what a treasure I had found for $2.00! I'll share more with you as I hopefully discover some old, if not yummy, recipes.

Work was okay today. It was tiresome because we weren't terribly busy and it made the morning crawl. I have a co-worker who gets on my nerves most days and today was no exception. She is a very talkative person and never, ever stops talking - ever. I try to tune her out without being rude but it's about impossible. At any rate, once I get home, I have to decompress for a few minutes in complete silence, if at all possible, just to get the droning out my head.

I should head to the kitchen and see what I can do with some pork chops I have thawed. I LOVE to cook and I'll share my menus with you along with some recipes from time to time.

Y'all have a good evening.