My Sorrid Past

Today as I perusing the aisle's of Goodwill procrastinating about going out in the 100 degree heat to the 200 degree car.  I hadn't really found anything worth buying and I had a case of "empty hand syndrome" so I kept on looking.  That's when I spotted a cart of fresh new merchandise that a clerk rolled out on the floor and I pounced.  I spotted something that I needed, but I didn't KNOW I needed.  

BAM!  

A Boone's Farm Apple Wine glass.  As soon as I saw it I had a flood of memories to the the first time (and only time, for the record) I got drunk on Apple Wine.  I was hanging out with a bunch of guys on motorcycles and they were all drinking Boone's Farm Apple Wine.  I had never had it before, so I decided to try it.  I drank so much that I got wasted! F-A-S-T!

Wait - did I mention I was four years old at the time?

Oh, that might be important information!

:)

When I was was a kid, still living in Kansas, my Mom's three brothers had a bunch of friends that had motorcycles.  They would come over to our house and hang out most of the afternoon. Everyone would sit on their motorcycles in the front yard and talk and listen to music and just visit and hang out.  Because they were young (but over 18 and legal to drink), money was tight and cheap wine fit the bill.  They all had bottles of Boone's Apple Wine in paper bags that they were sipping out of throughout the day.  

I was about four years old and my Uncle's loved me.  Their friends thought I was cute and they liked me too.  AS THEY SHOULD.  :)  They liked me sooooooo much that when I walked up and batted my eyes and asked for a "sip" of their wine, they looked over their shoulder so no one would see  - and then gave me the teeneiest sip of Apple Wine.  No harm.  No foul.  

Except.

It tasted like juice!  YUM!

So.

I went around the ring of motorcycles, one by one, person by person and got the teeniest sip of Boone's Apple Wine from each one of them.  

TWICE.

YUM!  YUM!

After awhile I needed to go in the house to go to the bathroom.

I found my Mama and told her that I needed to go to the potty.  She took me in and stood with me while I went to the bathroom.  I was laughing.  A bit too much and for no reason. And I was trying to tell her something but I sounded all slurry.  Then I said, "I feel funny, Mama!" and BOOM I fell off the toilet!  And kept on laughing.

I was PLASTERED! 

Then guess what?

I barfed up my guts.  My Mom said she had never smelled anything like that in her LIFE.  Probably because I had a stomach full of whatever a four year old eats along with a bellyful of Apple Wine. (I probably only had 1/2 cup total, but that's WAY TOO much for a four year old. 

A new rule was implemented - "No booze for the kid".  But, I never asked for it again.  And honestly, I really haven't ever drank much since then.  

The glass will hold some flowers in the windowsill.  

That story still makes me chuckle after all these years!  

A Journey: The Canehill Water Wheel

Journey's have been in short supply around here as of late.  It's hot outside.  We are all busy.  The Breadman still has his AWFUL job with AWFUL hours.  It seems I am always looking for things for the booth, pricing things for the booth or going to one of the booths.  Then, of course, I am always doing the same for The Junk Ranch.  Right now I am knee deep in Christmas merchandise and constantly on the hunt for MORE.  I need more for the Junk Ranch and possibly for ME.  :)  Actually, I have been going through my own Christmas trying to let some go.  I have way more vintage ornaments than I can ever display, but I am afraid if I sell any I will (GOD FORBID) break some of my pretties.  Anyway, cooler weather as far as junk and journey's cannot come fast enough to please me. 

The Cane Hill Water Wheel.

The Pyeatte-Moore Mill was built in the town of  Cane Hill, Arkansas in 1830, then later moved to this location outside of town a bit in 1902.

It was once a huge building and booming business.  You can see that all that remains is the stone bottom floor and the wheel.  Where that man is standing there were huge stones making the foundation.  

They are down in the bottom in the water now.  

The wheel was completely able to turn and touch the water back then.

Now it's all overgrown and the water is just a small amount way beneath the wheel.  I have seen the water rushing after a big rainstorm.  But, for the most part, it's always pretty low.

The very small town of Cane Hill is also home to the Caner Hill College established in 1835 until it was closed during the Civil War to make a hospital for soldiers then reopened in 1875.  This was a Seminary School for both men and women, but later became an all women's college.  The building remains and is currently being renovated.

In the college there is a architectural rendering of the former Pyeatte -Moore Mill with a collection box nearby calling for a full restoration of the Mill as a historic landmark.  That would be a grand venture.  

Each time I visit the old wheel, it falls deeper and deeper into disrepair.  Here are the steps where the man in the old photo was standing.  

Right up there.  

The wheel is no longer attached to the old foundation.  

It is slowly tipping to the side.  One day I fear it will fall completely or break off at the rusted areas. Some of the slats on the top are completely missing as well as most of the ones on the bottom.  One day when we were visiting, I found one of those slats up by the highway.  

Of course, the locals have all had to make their mark on the old wheel.  

Years and years of names on top of names.  It is vandalism and a bad thing,  But, the combination of the old rust and the chippy names is interesting too.

It's a wonder no one has died climbing up to the top of the old 36 foot wheel to write their names on it.  

There have been a few Memorial crosses show up on the other side under the highway and occasionally on the steps by the wheel.  I really don't want to know what happened or when.  *I decided to google it and Michael Curtis was 52 and died in 2013.  I assume a car accident, but I don't know.  Didn't mean to bring this post down....

But, since I did - you might want to read about the infamous Cane Hill Murders in 1839.  A man and his four children were killed which led to a lynching.  It's an interesting story.  Funny how I never like history in school, but I love the local history and the Civil War history in my area.  I guess seeing it and getting out in it is much different than reading about it in a text book.  

It makes me sad that this piece of history is crumbling and has become a place for high school beer drinking and vandalism.  When we go there we appreciate if for what it was then and for what it is now.  Historic.

Pieces of the old equipment are still visible under the tall unkempt grass and weeds.  

It's still a very interesting place to visit.  Calm and serene.  

If you ever come to visit me,  I will take you there!  

The Week In Junk: 25¢ Finds & More!

I am still on the hunt for junk, but most of it goes straight to one of the booths or gets tucked back for the Fall Junk Ranch (Sept. 30 isn't far off...), so taking photos hasn't been on my mind.  But, you dear people like to see the junk so here is a bit that I have remembered to take photos before I squirreled it away.  

Thursday I went to my beloved Super Cheap Thrift.  Home of the 5¢ drinking glasses and 25¢ shirts. I really never find anything spectacular or particularly valuable there.  But, the prices are SO low that I can spend $5.00 and price that batch for about $100 to to to the booths.  It adds up!  The first thing I spotted was a Leap Frog Globe high on a shelf.  I picked it up and there wasn't a price on it, so I sat it back up on the shelf.  A lady walked up and asked me how much it was and I told her that it wasn't priced.  That's when a lady on the other side said the sweetest words I have EVER heard.   "Everything in the entire store is 25¢ an item today."  As my mind was racing at the possibilities, I saw that lady's arm starting to move and I SWOOPED up and grabbed that globe.  MINE.  Sorry lady.  When I got it home, it worked but it would short out every so often which is GOOD because I wanted to dismantle it and just keep the globe for a project.  

After the SCT, I found a yard sale that I wish I would have found earlier in the day because there was great stuff at great prices.  Every thing in the photo was 25¢ at the SCT or the yard sale.  All the Santa's will go to The Junk Ranch.  The rest to be scattered among the booths and JR.  Although, I did have to keep those tiny pool balls.  TOO CUTE.

At the yard sale  - a nice mishmash of PINK Melamine dishes.  The platter and serving bowl will go on ebay and the rest to the JR.  

This super sweet Ohio Art lunchbox isn't the type I normally see - no cartoon characters or super heroes.  I think I will use it at the JR to hold milk cap magnets.  

This is a rack for the old wooden Playskool puzzles.  It's on ebay right now.  

I saw this plaque at Goodwill today and I took a photo of it because I thought it was so funny.  Then I decided that I really needed to own it.  So, now I do!  (I do not want a fur coat or diamonds though.....)

I have been on the hunt for a globe for awhile.  I like them and they are an easy sell - but hard to find! This one was being pushed out on the cart at Goodwill when I walked in so I grabbed it!  The equator line was missing, so I added a strip of fun pennant Washi tape.  I want to try decoupaging or vinyl letters on a globe so this might be a good candidate. 

I was greedy and took these from Lara at our yard fail sale.  That big bunny in the back with the baby carriage is really big.  I love them all and have never seen any like these out in the wild.

Also stolen from Lara - the sweetest drying rack.  I mean - LOOK AT THE CUTENESS.  I die.

I picked up a box of vintage Lincoln Logs at a sale.  I was sorting them out and The Bean said that he had never had any Lincoln Logs.  So, we built some houses out of them.  ;)  I feel like a terrible Mother for not having thrifted him some Lincoln Logs when he was little.  (He did not lack to toys, I promise you.)  We played a while and now they are Junk Ranch bound.  

I will try to do a better job of taking photos of my junk.  I have new neighbors and I haven't wanted to scare them off with me in the side yard taking random photos of random junk.  Not yet anyway.  

Have you found any good junk lately?