We do junk

Our quest for antiques -- defined by us as "old things that were not personally owned by our parents" -- often finds us deliberating with great care over a possible purchase. We can take a day or two to discuss the pros and cons of an item, as would be expected when considering buying a fine piece of furniture or an expensive painting. The only difference in OUR situation is that we take this same amount of deliberation time for a $5 framed window screen that needs a good scrub, or a four-foot section of picket fence badly in need of paint.


This is not because we need to decide whether the item is worth fixing up once we get it home. No, we believe in leaving things in their original state. Our motto is "Why ruin a good piece of junk?" (This is also what we tell ourselves regarding our entire house when things begin needing attention.)


On this trip we made a mutual decision to stop only at establishments that met our standards: "Too nice," we would say as we passed one by. Or, "Oooo, let's stop THERE. They have junk!"


At several shops we saw enough small sections of "rustic" picket fence to surround a large estate, and I wanted to buy every piece to put in our garden, although it in no way resembles a large estate.


"The fences don't match," the Hero said, in an effort to convince me to leave at least some of the fences at the store for some other hapless husband to deal with.


"They don't have to," I said.


He shook his head, no doubt because when we shop for other household items, or clothes, and he chooses something to go with something else, he constantly hears, "They don't match!" This is another one of those mystifying topics he wishes would be included in a "Guy's Guide to How Women Think the Universe Should Run": the Rules of When Things Should Match and When They Should Not Match.


At the same store where we deliberated at great length over the picket fences, we noticed several pleasant signs meant to be displayed in one's garden: Plant smiles--grow giggles--harvest love; A beautiful garden is a work of heart; Gardens are a little bit of Heaven on earth, etc. Although these were inspirational and touching, we looked for something very special for our own garden, something that would express its uniqueness and how we feel about it. Finally, we saw it: 


Grow, dang it!


Although we did not, in the end, buy this sign for our garden, it would have looked perfect on our new fences.