I am in my beach town, and it’s foggy and gray. I pulled weeds the first afternoon so that I could put out a full green can this morning for the yard waste truck.
More weeds await, but it’s another gray day. I took off for thrift stores both days at lunch time. Yesterday, after digging around the Second Chance thrift store, which gives jobs to recovering alcoholics, I found a little pile of random stuff plus a plastic watering can. On my way to the check-out line, I saw a big doll stuffed in the wrong place. I picked her up and took a look. She was old, her hands were leather, her arms and legs made of cloth and stuffed with sawdust.
I unfastened the back of the dress and looked on the shoulder plate – Made in Germany. Wow! The china head doll was a hundred plus years old. The price tag said $65.00. But by the time I used my 10% coupon and also asked for the old lady discount, my whole purchase came to $52.00 including the pile of random stuff and watering can.
Why would an old lady buy an even-older doll? Wait. There’s more.
Today, I went back to the same thirft store to see if there was other old stuff. I found an antique swivel mirror in a walnut stand, made to sit on a dresser top. It was marked $65.00 but the mirror was clouded and dark.
I went back to the shelf where I’d found the Made in Germany doll. No such luck today. I went to the register, where the manager was telling the cashier to price an item at $75.00. It turned out to be Addie, the American-Girl-doll doll, with two books, an extra outfit, and original clothes in original box. I said I wanted it. I gave the cashier the coupon, and she managed to give me the old lady discount but not the coupon discount, even though she had it in her hand. I would’ve said something but two reasons why I didn’t:
1. I didn’t want to embarrass her (she was struggling with ringing up the sale).
2. the money goes to a good cause.
Two dolls in two days.
I know, I can hear all of you naysayers through the internet. Why, Susan, why?
Let’s just say that it helps me in my career as a children’s book author to feed my inner child. If a couple of dolls can help with that then who are any of you to judge? Actually, I know you’ll judge, and I will do my usual ignoring of your judgment.
My life is not yours, and your life is not mine. You do things your way, and I’ll do things my way.
I have a lot of friends my age or older who spend their days drinking and laughing. I’m all for that, but drinking is off the table for me. So, as you total up what you’ve spent on your expensive glasses of Chardonnay, I’m sure my two dolls are cheaper.
Plus, it’s my birthday this month, and I bought myself two presents.
Plus, Addy is black, and I support black American Girl dolls. Seriously, why didn’t I have one until now? All the rest are white-girl dolls, except for Josefina – she’s Mexican.
As my BIPOC doll collection grows, tempered by the blond china head doll from Germany, I am finding ways to have fun on a gray and weedy day at the end of June.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 