Sow's Ear

Yesterday I decided to go to Longmont so I could hit both Goodwill, which was having a 50% off Saturday, and Walmart.  Dixie had ended up staying all night and I was undecided about taking her along.  It was sunny here and NOAA was predicting a high of 60F degrees in Boulder.  I loaded her in the car and stopped to get my mail at the post office in Nederland.  By that time she was already panting, so I drove her all the way back to Eldora and dropped her at her house.  She didn't want to get out of the car and, as it turned out, it was more overcast in Boulder and Longmont than it was in the mountains and I think she would have been fine, but I had numerous stops to make, so it was a relief not to have to worry about her getting too hot.


I went to Goodwill first and found a little secretary that I think will meet many of my storage needs.  I got both pieces for a total of $15! It's a bit of a sow's ear, but I think with some filling, sanding and paint I can make it acceptable if not a "silk purse."  I couldn't get it in my car, so they gave me until Monday to pick it up.  After giving it some thought, I decided I'd unload everything out of my car this morning and drive back today to see if they could fit it in.  If not, I'd know that I'd have to rent a truck tomorrow.  I had decided that if I did have to rent a truck I would take advantage of the opportunity to try to get someone to help me load this black Naugahyde hide-a-bed into the truck for the return trip where I would drop it off at the Goodwill in Boulder.

I had discovered Friday when I did laundry that Dixie had thrown up in the car as well as throwing up in the cabin.  I'm sure she got too hot Thursday morning while she was curled up in the back seat where she loves to rest.  I had opened both back doors, but the wind had blown the west door shut.  To access the east door she had to clamber over my dirty laundry with just one hind leg.  She'd managed, but not before she got so overheated that she vomited in the car and then, after drinking a lot of water, again in the cabin.  I felt horrible for not paying more attention.  With temperatures rising I will have to start putting something in the west car doors to prevent them from blowing shut or just stop allowing her to rest there.  I have no shade.

I had purchased some upholstery cleaner yesterday so I could clean off the back seat.  The combination of unloading everything from the car, which I use as a second room, and shampooing the back seat, got me started and I decided to clean out the car, which I hadn't done in, well, too long.  I kind of use my car as a pickup truck.  I'd hauled kindling in it and just living here had left enough gravel on the floor on my side for a dish garden.  I don't have a vacuum and will take advantage of a car wash vacuum one of these days.  In the meantime, I used a whisk broom on the floors and seats and a damp cloth on the dash and other vinyl parts.  Couldn't let those guys in the back room at Goodwill see what a mess I'd let my car get in!  

I knew it was supposed to rain...

..so I just left my floor mats under the eave to wash while I was gone...

...outfitted with rocks to keep them from blowing away in case the wind came up.  Then I hopped in the car and drove to Longmont.  Thank goodness, Dixie had not shown up because I knew there wouldn't be room the car for anything but this secretary if they could even fit it in.


The man working the back room at Goodwill was able to fit the base in the back seat.  While he was wrangling the top into the front seat I asked, "What do you think?"  He said, "I try not to."  Back room humor.  He managed it.  I could just barely change gears.  I couldn't see anything but furniture in my rear view mirror and my right side mirror was obscured as well, but I made it back to Boulder from Longmont and up the canyon to the cabin without incident.  

Here are some pictures I took of the two pieces still in the car.  I'm not sure I can get them out by myself, and since it's rainy, this is the best place for them right now. 


This is the base.  It's on its side and the the legs are on the left.  Some kind of laminate.  Based on that hardware, would you say 1960s, 1970s?  Keep in mind, $7.50 for this piece and I get three big drawers for towels and sheets so I don't  have to unload everything off the top of the trunk every time I want something out of it.  No, the damage to the headliner on the car did not occur during this excursion.  That's left over from trying to get an unwieldy piece of metal lawn furniture into my car in Phoenix and that's not the worst of it.  Like I said, pickup truck.

Here's the rest of the base and what makes it a secretary...

 

...the hinges are on the left, pull the knob to let the desk down and it has the requisite cubbies inside.  It's apparent this got a lot of use based on the wear around the knob.

Now this is what originally caught my eye. I thought it was a separate piece for which I was willing to pay $15...

 ...a glass-front cabinet with two shelves, glass intact, that sets atop the other piece.  Not much character at this point, but I think I can give it some and it will provide more space to display porcelain.

So, now the fun part.  I plan on painting it and think, since I went whole hog with the dark charcoal brown paint on everything else intentionally to make it disappear, I need to paint this another color.  So there will be paint swatches to peruse and then, of course, there's new hardware. I think I'll even be surprised about how cute this may turn out.

Animal update.  Fox feeding is ongoing at least twice a day.  Vixen actually came inside the cabin briefly this morning to grab a piece of chicken out of her bowl that I had set just inside the door.  I think that girl telepathizes.  I'll get the "itch" to check to see if she's out there and, sure enough, she's lying in the yard.  I notice that there's a U-Haul at the cabin where Apollo's owners live.  Maybe we won't have to contend with him for too much longer.  That would certainly take some stress out of everyday living.

That's my Sunday.  Teddee