Thursday, November 7, 2013

Adorable, Vintage And Only 99 Cents. But What Is It?


I almost forgot about this little buried treasure. I salvaged it from a dig at one of Impact Thrift's unsorted bric-a-brac sales some time ago. I found it inside a plastic tote otherwise filled with dusty dinnerware pieces and placed it my basket to examine before purchase.



It's brown, plastic and made in Hong Kong. The thermometer is purely decorative.  The day and month can be changed manually by rolling the dial and pushing the little arrow, respectively. That precious little globe spins and the piece stands 11" high. That's what I know.



Now here's what I'm left wondering.... what is it, exactly? I took to the powers of Google for further information and found a single eBay listing which called this an "Unusual Vintage Thermometer Globe Month Day Clock Tower." That's just as descriptive, yet inconclusive as my guess would have been.

But whatever it is...it's siting on my bookshelf, where I occasionally pass by and give that little globe a spin. It's got character. And identifying it won't change my opinion one way or another. But still, I'd love to know a little more about it. 

So what do you make of my little Vintage Thermometer Globe Month Day Clock Tower? 
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Friday, November 1, 2013

Celebrating Fall Folklore In The Thrift Store And The Orchard

Celtic Oracle Book, Cards and Calendar Set. $2


Early in the fall season I visited my favorite suburban thrift store, a renovated barn in Bryn Athyn, PA, affectionately known as BATS. 

And sitting in their  front parlor, seemingly out of place was this novelty fortunetelling set. And while it's faux vintage, the low price and the colorful artwork held my interest long enough to warrant a purchase. And good thing, too. Because I really brushed up on Halloween history. 

For instance, did you know that the modern interpretation of Halloween is based in part on Celtic traditions surrounding the end of the harvest season? From sunset on October 31st through sunset on November 1st, celebrations and offerings were held for Samhain. And according to folklore, the wall between the spirit world and the world of the living was quite feeble. 

And have you ever wondered why pumpkins and apples are so integral come Halloween time? These were some of the Gaelic traditional food offerings left for the spirits in remembrance of the dead. On Samhain (pronounced sah-win), spirits and other mischievous members of the spiritual realm would go door-to-door claiming these offerings, which centuries later evolved into modern day trick-or-treating. 

Pretty neat, huh?

Well, you better believe that after reading this, I decided to take part in some traditional autumnal activities. Just a few days before Halloween, I went off to Styer Orchard and picked a bucket of fresh apples and an armful of pumpkins, fresh from the patch. 

A scrumptious Granny Smith just hanging there all for me.

Harvest corn for fall decorating.

I found the the perfectly imperfect pumpkin, still attached to the vine.

It was the kind of fall day that reminded me what I had been looking forward to all summer. Crisp, cool air, hot apple cider and a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon later in the evening. And now that Halloween, or what the ancient celebrants called Samhain has officially ended, it's quite easy to get caught up in the Christmas craze. 

But hold on to fall for as long as it lasts. This is just the beginning of what the Celts referred to as the "dark months." There's no need to rush through them. 
















Because, it's undoubtedly a beautiful time to celebrate. 

What's your favorite part of the fall season?

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