Wednesday, October 12, 2011

China Doll

I forgot to mention in my News You Can Use from Vermont bit below that Super Agent Fred (proving his absolute superness) boosted a small set of china from the house for me. Let me hasten to add there was more than plenty of other dishware to cover the loss, and perhaps "boosted" is too harsh a term to use. Let us think of it as "taking an advance on his inheritance."


They're the sixties space age pattern on the right, just the thing to set the heart of an aged queen survivor of that era, such as I, to racing.

Of course, I needed absolutely no more china, groovy or otherwise. R Man loved to give me dishes for Christmas and birthday presents and I have been working the thrift store kitchen section for thrity years, so we gots plenty. Not that that has ever stopped me.
The good stuff. Lots o' good stuff.

The everyday stuff. Cause every day, my posse drops by and I need ten soup plates. Oh wait, that's right. I never need ten soup plates. And I have no posse.

The overflow. Some of it, anyway.

In fact, I was back at it this very afternoon. Diane von Austinburg, Fred, some other friends and I are planning a big Thanksgiving in cabins down in Big Sur, the beautiful, rugged coast south of here. Diane and I have suffered through cooking in rental kitchens often enough we agreed it would be a good idea to stock up on various pots and pans, dishes and silverware in advance to take down with us and then just abandon there for future renters to bless us for.

We've all been there, I assume. Kitchens stocked with the filters from espresso machines, the implements to cut hardboiled eggs into perfect little slices, asparagus steamers, but no timers, or pots with lids, or decent knives. So I trotted off to the big thrift store on Valencia Street to begin the hunt.

And what a thrill it was to have a focus and not feel vaguely ridiculous about bringing home yet another bowl. My three rules are 1) nothing can cost more than $1.50, 2) it has to be a Useful Size (whatever that is,) and 3) it can't be chipped. That's the real sticking point. Even if something started out in pristine condition a very short time out in the war zone that is a thrift store rack leave all these poor dishes looking like they have lost a rough fight.

For years, I have resisted the siren lure of plain white china with gold rims knowing that the gilt never lasts long in dishwasher combat. This then is my big chance, cause what do I care if the gold wears off? All it has to do is last through a couple of dinners and then it's "So long sucker."

Of course in the middle of my "Just buying for a one way trip to Big Sur" I ran across a most charming little Staffordshire bowl and a Wedgewood salad plate, $1.50 each. What was I going to do, pass them up? I don't think so. Turns out I am, after all, a big ole china queen.

I also snagged a small-ish box for the chargers and cables and other electronica ephemera that are running over the basket they currently reside in, but Saki has laid claim to it.
Cats: utilizing their inherent cuteness in service to some diabolical plot they are then too lazy to execute.

9 comments:

  1. "I ran across a most charming little Staffordshire bowl and a Wedgewood salad plate, $1.50 each. What was I going to do, pass them up? I don't think so."

    No pictures?

    What a china tease!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I adore the floral cups but I'm not so struck of the others.

    The thrifty alternative to buying expensive tranquillisers on the internet is to smash a load of china up against the wall, gather up the fragments and make an attractive mosaic.

    Things you can mosaic:

    An old vase
    A picture frame
    The bathroom
    The car

    ReplyDelete
  3. Camping with China?
    Gee...sounds like a blog.....maybe a bitchy porn review site.

    First up, is "Big Sir"

    ReplyDelete
  4. And on your return, a post entitled "To Sur, With Love."

    ReplyDelete
  5. A. I agree with Will. And 2. I am SO jeolous that you're doing this shopping without me! That is just wrong. Do I have to make an emergency flight out there just to go to Community Thrift?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Luv the new dishes. Perfect for entertaining the Jetsons. Jane will want to know where you got them.

    Luv the tromp l'oeil doors on the china closet (and every mansion needs to have a china closet). Too bad the doors are not real bookcases, a la "Quick, Robin. . .To the Batpoles!"

    Luv the evil and adorable one's new world headquarters for domination of the known universe. Can almost hear him purring "Blofeld?? Ah, yes, he WAS one of my henchmen!"

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  7. I first class collection... & I love a good collection.

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  8. Just as well the evil world dominatrix has yet to stake a claim on the china cabinet! Fab blog... Jx

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  9. Oh my god those dishes in the first pic---I used to have the same ones and loved them! Oh, l'amour, l'mour...

    ReplyDelete

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