And Teeks

Trying to rebuild a household takes years, when you've left one and left essentially everything behind. Suddenly you've got no slotted serving spoons, no cacti, and no tall, pine, corner TV cabinet. That's why I've bought a lot of second-hand stuff. A bird builds its nest one straw at a time, I keep saying. One of the first second-hand items I bought, when I embarked upon the re-creation of my household, was a chair. It's not just any ordinary chair. It's a chair I would consider "antique-like," with a wooden frame that has a design like a wooden lyre on its back (picked up from Mr. What Not, as mentioned below). The chair looks like one that belonged in a set my grandmother had in her dining room. I re-covered the seat with a tapestry I recovered from my other grandmother's house after she died. So, the symbolism is pretty cool, and the chair, I think, is nice on its own, minus the grandmother references. The chair was just the beginning. Now, eight years later, I cannot really fit any more household items in the nest and it keeps growing, and I keep shopping at second-hand stores, flea markets, and "antique" places. Which brings me to my point. Today I confirmed my theory about the fine line between "junk" and "antiques." Is there a difference? I think actual, valuable, beautiful antiques are passed down through the familial lineage. Most of the stuff people peddle as "antique" is broken, scratched, worn, faded, and costs at least $375. The other second-hand stuff (who knows what age it is) is broken, scratched, worn, faded, dirty and costs $25. Anyway, for the past few years I've been hearing about this "antiques fair" that happens on the last Sunday of every month in the warmer months. Today we decided to go. It was very cold. Most of the items were overpriced. We came away with two tiny Star of David juice glasses (again, purchased exclusively for sentimental value), two rings, and a small wall-hanging with two pockets decorated with two embroidered peacocks, almost undoubtedly made in India, and $23 less than we arrived with. Our hands smelled like old stuff when we left. Old stuff, as in, years of dirt, cobwebs, rusted metal, moth balls, stale air, and something else I can't quite identify. Old-stuff smell.