Found Some Old-Man Glasses...

 The reason I went to our local thrift store was to buy a couple of pairs of glasses. The reason I needed the glasses is because I lost the screw on my current pair of glasses the held one of the temples (I just learned this term...) to the rest of the glasses. If you wear glasses--and even if you don't--you know the screws that hold glasses together are very small. Since I couldn't find the tiny screw, I decided the next best thing would be to go buy a few pairs of old glasses and use them for parts.

Part one of my plan--find old pairs of glasses.

Part two of my plan--buy the old pairs of glasses.

Part three of my plan--take them home and tear them apart.

Part four of my plan--fix my old glasses.

I'm proud to say all four parts of my plan worked perfectly. But, something happened that I didn't expect. One of the pairs of glasses I bought has almost the same optical prescription as my current pair. I think that's amazing. I mean, what are the odds? To be funny, I put on the glasses and showed them to my family. Their reactions were predictable.

"You have old-man glasses."

Predictable because it's true. They do look like glasses someone older might wear. I did not tear apart this pair. No, I placed them with other items I've collected through the years, items I wear on stage, items to help me create a new personality. I figure, if I'm every called upon to play a part of someone older than I am, I might dig out the glasses and see if they'll work.

You know, either older, or...

An accountant.

Remember Lane Cedar Chests...?

 It's funny how seeing something can unleash a flood of memories, and how we think the way we grew up is shared by everyone. Today, as I perused the aisles of a local thrift store, I came across a Lane cedar chest just sitting among discarded items.

Just looking at it reminded me of my mom, and the Lane cedar chest she had for decades.

Of course, my mom's looked nothing like this one. Her's was larger and wood-grained on the outside. It was very pretty and it stood at the foot of her bed as long as I could remember. I also remember sitting on it as we watched TV in her room with she and my siblings. We would congregate in her room, mostly in the winters with a kerosene heater in the corner. We did this because it cost money to heat the rest of the house and with the heater warming the master bedroom, we didn't even have to turn up the heat. That was back when families had maybe two TVs in the house...possibly more, but why would you need more than one TV, especially when there were only three networks, no cable, and no VCRs?

I only remember looking inside her cedar chest a few times. If I remember correctly (and, there's a good chance I don't...), she had some items from her wedding, and some other things that meant a lot to her. 

Since my mom had one of these, I just assumed every mother had one in their homes. And they passed them down to their daughters, and so on and so on. Apparently, that's not the case. We don't have one in our house, and because I left the Lane cedar chest sitting on the thrift store floor, maybe someone will pick it up and begin a new tradition for their family.

It's been just over fourteen years since my mom passed, and I don't know what happened to that particular piece of furniture. Most likely my sister has it, at least, I hope so. Funny, how seeing something in a thrift store can bring back those memories.

Things I DIDN'T Buy At The Thrift Store Today...

My son wanted to go to the thrift store today. His puppy needed new things to destroy. I'm always up for a trip to see all the things other people have basically thrown away...or "donated." I love thrift store shopping. The problem I have is there's so many things I want to get, even though I know I don't need them. I've blogged about this before. One of the reasons I don't get all the stuff (aside from not having unlimited resources...), is our house is relatively small--we'd have no where to put it.

My son bought things he wanted for his dog. My daughter picked out cute clothes. My wife, other son, and I roamed aimlessly looking at all the stuff. I pulled out my phone and began snapping pictures of all the things I did not buy at the thrift store today.

I did not buy a Panama Canal hat (even though it was red...).

I did not buy an electronic jar opener.

I did not buy whatever this is.

I did not buy broken clocks...

Or binders....

Or tap shoes (I would have bought them if they weren't two sizes too big...).

I did not buy either a VHS collection of the BBC Classic of Pride and Prejudice, or Campaign in the Pacific.

I did not buy old Latter-Day Saint books (or beer steins...).

I did not buy even one Danielle Steel novel.

Nor did I pay $125 for a display that appears to have been worth $12,500.

I did not buy a creepy doll that might be a good prop for next year's Frightmares.

But the item I actually considered buying most of all was a football helmet for $10, signed by Tim Tebow. Yes, really, Tim Tebow. I googled the signature to make sure. I checked out similar items on Ebay but I couldn't tell what it was worth. And, besides, what would I do with a Tim Tebow signed New York Jets helmet? I've never sold anything on Ebay, even though I think I should.

No, others brought stuff home from the thrift store--I did not. Of course, the next time I go, who knows what treasures I'll buy...and not buy?

Apparently, Thrift Stores In Idaho Falls Are A Good Place To Find Allen Edmond Shoes...Who Knew?

Our Idaho adventure wraps up tomorrow. Before the trip, I failed to carefully read the e-mail letting us know the entire group of kids--and chaperones, of which, I am one--will be attending church on the way home. Since I'm traveling with kids in addition to my daughter I will be attending, too. That means, I needed to get some suitable church clothes.

And where's the best place to find inexpensive clothing?

No, not Old Navy (although, that can be considered...), but a thrift store. And luckily, I knew where two thrift stores were located in Idaho Falls. When I arrived, the larger of the two was closed. I went to the other thrift store--located directly across the street--and asked when the Deseret Industries (D.I.) closed. I missed it by a week.

At the smaller store, I found a pair of Allen Edmonds dress shoes. They were pretty beat up. I might send them in to get refurbished. I'm told they do that at Allen Edmonds. Even if I don't do that, picking them up was okay. They were only two dollars.

I asked if the worker knew where the new D.I. was built. I assumed they built a new one--this thrift store chain is important to the Mormon communities. Turns out I was right--they did build a new one. The worker told me the new store was in a section of town I'd be visiting later tonight. What luck! After dinner I went inside the new D.I. and bought a shirt, tie, belt, and another pair of Allen Edmonds. These are in much better shape.

Ever since I found out about this brand of footwear, I've been looking for Allen Edmonds for years. Today I found two pair. They may be the only used Allen Edmonds in the city, or maybe even all of Idaho, for all I know.

What I do know is, had I read the e-mail more carefully a few week's back, I'd have had no reason to even step inside a store.