What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Hillbilly Pickin' & Junky Finds

Today, even though it was beastly hot and I got way too late of a start, I headed out for a bit of junkin'.  I had spotted one ad on Craigslist that was less than a mile from my house, "Lots of junk.  Come and brause."  Despite the poor spelling of "browse" I was lured in by the word junk, so that's where I headed first.  I knew the road, however, I never realized that the end of the road went deep off to the right and turned into a dirt road.  I followed my familiar route, then suddenly, I was on the dirt road and seeing things that I didn't even know still existed in this area, let alone that close to my house.  I spotted the YARD SALE sign and an arrow pointing, so I pulled in.  Oh heavens.  what a mess.  Three old very dilapidated trailer homes.  Junk, and I do mean junk. everywhere.  Pit bull pups running here and there and a little boy with a burr haircut and no shirt chasing the dog.   Five old junk cars, missing most their tires and parts.  Old barrels, old farm equipment.  Junk, junk, junk.   I should have left when I saw that.  I really should have left when I looked at The Bean and he had this worried face like, "We are going to die".  Despite both of these things, I continued on in my quest for some good junk.

As we emerged from the car, a young girl came out on the front porch. I asked what was for sale and she rolled her eyes and pointed back behind the trailer where some tables were set up and covered with stuff. Kind of like, Boy are you dumb you can't see the yard sale.  But, actually, that area really didn't look anymore like a yard sale than the rest of the yard.   Just random crap everywhere.

We went down to the tables and started looking around. (Note to self: Do a tick check later.) There were a few good old items there, so I started picking things up. Nothing was priced, so I knew I would have to deal with the girl.  When I finally took my pile to the girl, she declared it was $9.00. I thought it was too much, so I had her tell me what she had charged me for each item since I only had a few things. She finally picked up on item and told me that she had charged me $4.00 for it, but 50¢ each for everything else. Odd. Anyway, I put back the $4.00 item (which was an tchotke not much different that the other things I was holding) and paid my $4.00 and left.
As we were leaving, a tiny little blonde girl ran up to me from inside the trailer. She was so cute and I came thisclose to patting her on her blonde little head. Then I had bad thoughts. Really bad thoughts of head lice and bed bugs. I've never felt better than anyone else, it was weird. It was just so out of the ordinary to wind up in such a non typical typical Arkansas hillbilly trailer park junk sale that I was caught off guard. Wishing I hadn't mentioned ticks because now I am itchy all over.

**Anything I bought there has been disinfected - twice. **

So, enough yakkity yak - here's this weeks junk in review.
A very sweet Japan angel doll.  She was from that sale, but in her original package, which was unopened and now disposed of properly.  A keeper.

A cool Pumpkin man - not old, but vintage looking - $1.00 for a 105 degree yard sale earlier this week.  A keeper.

A big white pottery owl planter from that sale.  For the flea market.  I cannot keep owl crap on the shelves.

Seven dwarfs, who except for their clothes, look identical.  New in their package from that sale.  Cute.  Not sure - keep or flea or ????

Nat old tin globe from that sale.  I love the patina.  I think I am going to keep it.  BUT!  I will not collect globes.  i will not collect globes.   i will not collect globes......

Potter from here and there.  White planter from the Super Cheap Thrift for $1.00, white donkey planter form SCT for 50¢, three small pieces of pottery - my very favorite to find - 50¢ each here and there.

Three aqua blue Frankoma mugs.  Frankoma is so plentiful here that I never buy it.  But, the color of these mugs is popular, so I picked them up for 25¢ each at the Super Cheap Thrift Store.  When I was washing them, The Bean was drying and he asked where the fourth one was - I told him that there were only three.  He insisted that there were four of them.  I told him that he wasn't even with me the day I bought them.  Yes i was he said.  They were on your tea cart that you bought and I moved them.  There were four of them tied together with jute string.  You know what - he was right.  I did see them there, but they were $4.00.  Apparently they didn't sell so they donated them to the SCT.  *This was the sale where my cabinet was already spoken for - The Bean asked - did they donate your cabinet too???*

A sweet old Yellowstone Plate - not your typical souvenir plate.  I will look it up for ebay, but most likely put it in the flea market.

Silk embroidery picture.  For the Flea market - 50¢ at the SCT.

An old apple tin - this might have been a tobacco tin, not sure.  I need to research it a bit before I decide what to do with it.

And, lastly, the biggest stone apple I have ever seen.  It takes up both of my hands to hold it.  It should sell for good $$$$ this Fall or Winter.  (Ebay sales suck right now).

There you have it - my junk for the week and a story to boot. 

What did you get and where did you find it?

6 comments:

  1. Careful with globes...I do collect globes.I do collect globes.NOW!Because many years back I bought one and several more have followed.Although I do have two packed in the car for tomorrow's show.I have that apple tin and use it to store my price stickers, etc.!Enjoy your finds.

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  2. Shara you found some awesome pottery this week! Love those little pieces also and those are some super prices. I too have gone to a yard sale where I felt like I need to go home and 'clean up' afterwards. Sad to say. I agree withJunque Magnet...watch out for those globes! I know so many who are hooked on them now! hugs, Linda

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  3. Ha ha! I've been to a sale or two like that, and I've had the same feelings as the Bean! It is especially scary when you are alone and the dirt road just goes on and on to the middle of nowhere and gets narrower and narrower back in the woods somewhere! :) Glad you made it out safe and sound!

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  4. Globes are a slippery slope... I've contained it to 3 so far, I would have way more if they weren't such a hot item here in Chicago!

    Also, being from Arkansas I too have been to a trailer park yard/garage sale. Fortunately it was a trailer park 'in town' (Fayetteville) rather than out in the woods. I found quite a few nice pieces of vintage jewelry and sequined handbags there. I'm glad you made it out with some goodies from the sale!

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  5. Love your stories! They are so different than from where I live - no dirt roads or trailers in Northern Virginia. Not too many hillbillies either. Thanks for sharing. :-)

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  6. There's a perma-sale near here that makes me hear the theme from Deliverance every time I pass it. I need to write about it.

    I don't know what it is about owls, but I'm having the same thing happen here. I'm grabbing them wherever i find them and they're selling as soon as they hit the booth.

    I've got an apple tin like that in my booth too.

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