A Winter Wonderland, It Isn't.

If there was but a single word that could capture my sentiments toward this cruel winter season, that word would be: STOP. I know this is the cycle that we need to endure before the buds of spring can sprout anew. But this cold, gray monotonous downpour of snow and ice is anything but poetic. 

As anyone with a chronic pain condition can testify, these cold and stormy days are more than just tedious. They're downright painful. And for everyone else at the very least, it's physically demanding and mentally taxing. Bundle up, shovel out and hope that your car can chug-a-lug it's way to your destination safely. In short, it's a wicked wintry mess. 

I tried. I really did. After digging out after the first major storm, I attempted to embrace the beauty of fresh fallen snow and frozen streams with my Canon Rebel grasped by raw gloveless fingers. And after about five minutes in a wind chill of -13 degrees, I trudged back home and got under the covers.

Let's face it. It's an ever-accumulating snowy prison. The few times I've been able to make the journey to the thrift store, I've returned empty-handed. I'm guessing when the roads are treacherous and the temperatures arctic, people aren't in a hurry to drop off donations. 

It's completely understandable. 

I guess I'm just in desperate need of spring. Spring! With its weekend flea markets, long and leisurely walks that find me stumbling upon an occasional yard sale and thrift stores bursting with freshly donated stock from the great seasonal purge nationally hailed as Spring Cleaning. 

But it's not here yet. And tomorrow has yet another wintry mix in the forecast. 

Grumble. Grumble. 

Stay warm, thrifters. And do share any news of thrifted loot with me on the comments, that I might live vicariously through your finds until I can borrow a sled dog team to get me out and about.

Doctor, Doctor! Give Me The News.

It started with a throaty cough that was nothing more than a mild annoyance. Just a few days after Thanksgiving, I was feeling especially sluggish and worn-down. More than any tryptophan-laced turkey could ever do, I felt sick.

After a week of hot tea and cough drops the symptoms vanished on their own...only to return with a vengeance a few weeks later. Then the chest pain started. Doctors at first said it was "probably" a strain "likely" due to the coughing from what "seemed to be" an upper-respiratory infection. A month later and still not feeling up to par, I realized that this limp diagnosis strung together by the most uncertain of phrases "probably and likely" was something more.

After a less than helpful visit to the urgent clinic, and after a truly terrifying trip to the emergency room, I followed up with the family doctor who issued blood work. A lot of blood work.

And a CT Scan. And an Ultra Sound. And a chest X-ray. And did I mention blood work?

After weeks of being pictured, pricked, poked and prodded, abnormal blood results seemed to point to a blood clot in my lungs. Not good.

However, after an eternity of waiting...it was determined that despite the abnormal blood work, it's not a pulmonary embolism. And while the worst case scenario has been eliminated, it would be a lie for me to say that I'm not concerned. And I've found that this battery of tests and routine visits to the doctor is just plain exhausting. 

So I wrote myself a little prescription.

Thrift Shopping: 2x Weekly. Taken with Budgetary Freedom. Refills: Unlimited.

It's high time to pull myself out of this funk. Having Fibromyalgia means I'm no stranger to pain. So if I have something else to contend with medically, then so be it. Since the opening chapter of this medical mystery in late November until this very week, I've been a hermit. I have secluded myself so much in fact, I fell into a deep depression that physically and mentally prohibited me from anything remotely close to productivity.

But I'm done with all of that now. I'm back to the writing desk. I'm back to being mindful of my diet and have lost nearly 14 pounds in the last three weeks. And I'm thrifting. I'm thrifting, damn it!

In my absence, I'd like to thank everyone for the support, well-wishes, kind words and thrift-spiration given to me in person, online, through the Let's Go Thrifting Facebook page and in emails.  The sense of community and caring is enough to make me keep on trucking. 

Now, let's get to the important stuff: The thrifting. Isn't it ironic that the first major score following the great medical debate was this sweet collection of vintage Fisher-Price medical supplies? 

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? 

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?