FOUND: AN OLD FRIEND FROM WAY BACK

Doesn't this get your attention?  I was curious about the sign when I first passed it.  I had to go down the street and turn around to come back and check it out.

I was invited to have lunch with my grandson at his school in Hoover, Alabama.  Since it is about a 2 1/2 hour trip for me down the interstate, etc., I always plan to arrive earlier than the appointed time.  This time when I arrived I decided to explore the neighborhood around the school until it was time for lunch.  I found this cute little shop on the corner overlooking the bluff.  It is an old house that they have turned into an antique/junque store complete with an attached train caboose.

Before I wandered in to see what goodies were waiting inside, this pick up truck caught my attention.  You know how much I love flamingo pink.

And don't you just love the directive painted on the side?  Just call ahead and then help yourself.  Loved it.

I must admit that I am not much of a flea market-er or an antique store browser.  It just happens sometimes that I find a little place that calls me in.  I went inside and started my browsing.  There were the usual doilies, lace tablecloths, and knickknacks that I saw growing up at my mom's house and at my grandmother's house.  I did find this little item hanging on the wall and I thought it was interesting.

Can you tell that it is made of bottle caps and rusted tin?  It is mounted on an old board.  I turned it over to see if it was a "signed piece".  Yep, right there on the back with the price was the artist's signature.

Now, I am not so sure that I consider $50 for this piece to be on "a shoestring" budget as the sign out front said.  But I kept browsing.

Next came the glassware and lots of it.  I looked at several shelves with all kinds of glasses, tumblers, cereal box trinkets, and so on.  But then I saw this bottle - some one embellished it.

I continued to browse.  I wondered if there might be some quilts.  Nope did not find a quilt.  But on a top shelf above my head I saw some porcelain pieces and one especially caught my eye.

Now this would have been even funnier if my husband or one of my quilting buddies had been with me.  We could have had a real belly laugh about this.  As it was I chuckled out loud by myself.





I have covered everything in the little house and nothing has stolen my heart.  Nothing seems to need to go home with me.  I thanked the proprietor - a little old man about eighty- and started to leave.  He asked me if I had been to the "caboose".  I had forgotten the caboose that was attached to the building.  I told him I would go look around in there.  He reminded me that the items in there were "on clearance" and "real cheap".  Yippee, maybe I will find something there that I cannot live without.

I climbed the steps and went in.  It was quaint and cute and, once more, there were lots of glassware, linens, and trinkets.  At the very back were some book shelves.  I love to read and I always peruse the book titles to see if there is anything that strikes my fancy.

This turned out to be the "bonanza" for me.  Many years ago I was given a little book entitled "Mister God, This Is Anna" by Fynn.  I read this book many times over the years I had it.  Then, it disappeared in one of my many moves.  I have kept my eyes open all this time (since 1974) looking for it.  It was never in any library that I visited and I did not find it in any book sales I went to.  Today I found it.  An old friend from way back.

Some might say that my stop today was Serendipity, I know it was Divine Providence.  I am re-reading this little book and remembering how special this story is and how much Anna taught me about a "friendship with Mister God."

Yes, this was truly the "buy of the day" for me.  Finding this little book made my heart smile and my soul sing.  Anna's message is so rich and meaningful to me.

                                                    -sandi