Take a Solo Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques

It was a rare solo trip for me today to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden today.  Steve was at work and I wanted to go see Milly Rose in Minden, so off I went.  I had a dual purpose.  Number one was that she had added a lot of new things since my last visit and number two was because a.) I wanted her to look at my mystery vase and give me some info on it, and b.) I had a present for her.

First the mystery vase. I got it last week at an estate sale and ever since I've been looking and researching hot 'n heavy to figure out how old it is and where it might have been made.  I asked some people in some glass collectors clubs I've joined and no real luck.  I've ruled OUT some things, but that's it.  Some guy even told me it looked like it came from Hobby Lobby to him.  Well, I don't know much about glass yet, but I can tell you it didn't come from Hobby Lobby.  So Milly can't say for sure about the maker of the vase, but her first instinct was that it's "like Murano" and it's definitely not Hobby Lobby.  "No, no," she said, "it's OLD."  I pressed her on a date and she said probably early 1900s. 

Second, the present.  I went to an estate sale today and they had hats.  Lots and lots of hats.  I bought two hats for Milly because Milly loves hats.  These hats just SCREAMED Milly Rose.  And I was right -- she loves them!

So.  Now for the walk around the shop.  Settle in, get a beer, this will take a while:

One of the things I bought today at my estate sale was an old crock.  Walking around Milly's today, I saw lots of old crocks.  It's like, once I started glass collecting, all I saw was glass in there..., well, today I saw crocks:

And churns:

Big, and small...

One thing that has surprised me as I've gotten interested in collecting glass is that collectors go crazy for Pyrex.  There are whole groups dedicated to Pyrex.  And you would not believe (or maybe you would) the crazy prices grandmother's old Pyrex mixing bowls are going for.  A Pyrex collector would go crazy at Millys:

Pyrex butter dishes!

This is a nifty metal "hamper" and thermos:

What about this pearl collar?  These were apparently quite fashionable:

I've been looking at that thing with interest and curiosity for a long time now.  It's fairly heavy and it's lined with ivory satin on the back.  It's neat.  Don't have a clue when I'd wear it, but it's neat.

I'm kind of digging these 1940s shakers:

A wooden duck pull toy!  Loved these when I was a kid!

I loved this old mirror:

How do you feel about carnival glass?  I'm not a fan of carnival glass.  I do know that lots of it is treasured and prized and that Fenton Glass often refers to it as it's "bread and butter" during certain years, but I'm not a fan of carnival glass.  If I was, I'd like these, though.   I don't mind this shade as much as some others:

These are candle holders; there's a socket in each for a taper.

Okay, now I got excited about this.  I love, love, love this 1939 National Geographic map of New York.  OMG.  Love, Love!

The art on there is great:

There is a whole box of old maps:

They won't be there long.  Especially with Father's Day coming up, someone will grab those.  They're wonderful.

How about these vintage rooster canisters?  Cute!

You could spend the whole day digging through this table of costume jewelry.  It's layers deep:

A cute Baby's Plate:

Look at these sweet dishes, and I love the green pitcher:

Milly's is know for the Coca-Cola collectibles; she has a serious reputation for having Coca-Cola stuff.  Like this great old bottle:

Or this great bottle:

Coca-Cola advertising:

Another thing collectors go crazy over is Star Wars stuff.  Milly's got that covered,too:

There is tons of Star Wars stuff.

Have you seen the movie "Thor"?  Read the book first:

Milly left me in charge of the store for about 20 minutes while she ran an errand.  Can you imagine?!  Like leaving a kid alone in a candy store.  This is what the dogs did while she was gone:

They sat there the whole time until she came back.

These mesh purses and bags are cool:

This box of old doorknobs caught my eye; this is the kind of knobs I have in my house!  I never knew they were collectible:

Have you done your Father's Day shopping?  I like this:

Milly has brought in a bunch of jewelry that is selling like crazy.  These oversized and colorful pieces are crazy popular right now:

And check out this one!

Well, so what did I come home with?  I brought this "smoking table" home:

Instead of filling the jar with tobacco, I'll fill it with sour cherry balls!  There are instructions stapled to the underside on how to operate "the lighter," which it apparently had at one time.

I also rescued this treasure from the linen pile:

It's hand embroidered and I love it! 

Milly also tucked some farm fresh eggs in my bag and some of her home grown veggies which we ate for dinner.

All in all it was a fun day and we had a good visit.  Tomorrow?  We're going to Coushatta to hit Ed Lesters for veggies!

As always, if you see something you can't live without in this, or any previous post, call Milly Rose and work out a deal.  She's always willing to make a deal!  The shop number is 318.371.9830.

Quote of the Day

"But if you can’t draw the line at being ruled by creeps with a spambot penis, you can’t draw it anywhere."

Mark Steyn

Sad, but true. 

Grouchy Rant

I'm too grouchy to blog today.  Ever have one of "those days"?  I'm on vacation!  I shouldn't be this ornery!  I can't even blame it on unruly teenagers!

I had to go to the doctor today for simple lab work for my annual checkup.  I had a 10:00 appointment to get blood drawn.  I had to wait 30 minutes and then the tech couldn't find the vein, had to stick me twice and now I'm bruised.

My neighbors (whom I like very much and we're good friends) had a tree trimmed.  A big one.  This was a necessary thing.  But the dumb trimmers stacked the limbs on the city property 8 to 10 feet high and the length of the property and now I can't see to back out of my driveway.  I called the city to see if they could pick them up and was told I'd be put "on the list."  The dreaded list.  The neighbors on the other side of this neighbor have been "on the list" for three weeks.  They had to cut up a tree that fell during a storm three weeks ago.  Those limbs are all dead and brown now.

Well, so I called my neighbor and asked him if he could call the city also and that might speed things up.  He said the tree guy is going to pick them up but it might be a week.  Might be tomorrow; might be a week.  Meanwhile, we have to park on the street so we can come and go, or else have someone else run interference when we back out of the driveway.

Normally things like that I just take in stride and don't get ruffled.  I'm very easy going.  But my street is pretty busy - people use it as a cut-through to avoid a busy traffic intersection nearby.  Can't see around the limbs.  Gonna get hit.  Danger.

So I get online looking to distract my aggression and it only gets worse.  Obama and the Democrats continue to run this country into the ground.  What is he thinking offering a bailout for Greece when we can't even manage our own affairs?

And WTF is wrong with the Government Motors CEO who wants to add a dollar a gallon tax on gasoline to force people into more fuel efficient cars?  I'm going to drive my V-8 Crown Vic until the damn wheels fall off.

And as God as my witness, I'm stocking up on incandescent light bulbs as fast as I can.  Damn nanny state Democrats trying to tell me what kind of light bulb to use.  Instead of my incandescent bulb, you want me to use a squirrely bulb that puts out weak light and requires three pages of EPA instructions on what to do if you break one in your house?   And yes, I know GWB signed this stupid law but it was still stupid.  Still is stupid.  I bought a case of light bulbs today.

Meanwhile, we still have to put up with Obama's hypocrisy and arrogance, his constant blaming Bush for things unless it's something that suits him.  Victor Davis Hanson sums up the current state of affairs:

The stock market is sliding. Gas and food prices are soaring. The housing market is as bad as it has been for the last three years. Unemployment is back over 9 percent. Economic growth is anemic. The national debt has risen $5 trillion in just three years. This year’s $1.6 trillion budget deficit is not stimulating anything but uncertainty and despair. Medicare and Social Security are not sustainable at present rates of payouts. Record numbers of Americans draw food stamps and unemployment insurance. An unpopular Obamacare has not even been implemented yet, and the administration has already granted 1,400 exemptions from it.

But it's all Bush's fault.   Still.

See?  I'm too grouchy to blog today.

On another note, the raccoons in the neighborhood are multiplying!  Two babies crawling around The Teenager's car today (notice: the car is parked on the street because he can't see to get out of the driveway safely).  The babies made me nervous crawling up into the undercarriage of his car, but they came out, got pretty close to me, then scurried across the street.

It's five o'clock somewhere.  I think I need to go have a beer and chill out.

Coming Up: Cuts to Military Retirement and Benefits

It's back to the Carter years as far as our U. S. military goes.

Two articles of note came on my radar this week.  First this one in which Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen says that pay cuts and benefit cuts are "on the table":

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen warned against taking the "relatively easy" choice of cutting hardware while maintaining the increasing costs of paying and providing ongoing health care to troops and retirees.

"Two of the big places the money is, is in pay and benefits," Mullen told defense reporters at a June 2 breakfast meeting in Washington. "And so when I say all things are on the table, all things are on the table."

DoD. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that nearly 10% of their budget goes to health benefits for active and reserve members.

In a May 24 speech, Gates said:

"Sustaining … the weapons and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who use them is increasingly difficult given the massive growth of other components of the defense budget, the 'tail' if you will -- operations, maintenance, pay and benefits, and other forms of overhead...America's defense enterprise has consumed ever higher level of resources as a matter of routine just to maintain, staff and administer itself."

Mullen confirms, saying that pay and benefits should be cut before programs and personnel.  

This dilemma is a result of Obama's proposed $400 billion in DoD budget cuts proposesd in April over the next 12 years.

The second article that caught my eye explains how Gates is looking specifically at cuts in the military retirement system:

“A more tiered and targeted system, one that weights compensation toward the most high-demand and dangerous specialties, could bring down costs while attracting and retaining the high-quality personnel we need,”

 One proposal still floating around is this one:

The main proposal on the shelf at the Pentagon comes from the 10th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, released in 2008. It suggests lowering the years-of-service requirement from 20 to 10 while eliminating pension payments immediately upon retirement, which for some troops comes as early as age 37.  Under that plan, troops with 10 to 20 years of service would receive retirement pay starting at age 60, and those with more than 20 years would receive checks starting at age 57.

This is still very much in flux and discussion; how it would be grandfathered in, how each branch of service would adapt these proposals to their own specificbranch, etc.  But now is the time to let your legislator know how you feel about $400 billion in cuts to the military while we continue to expand entitlement programs.  We can pay health care and education costs for illegals but we can't fund our own military?  What's wrong with this picture?

Where is Weiner's Resignation?

Lord have mercy, but I'm tired of the Weiner story.  It's eaten up the entire top half of Memeorandum today.  If you're interested, there are some good pieces on the story and his apology yesterday.  Stacy McCain has a piece in American Spectator that clarifies the genesis of the story and the controversy if you came in late.  Pundette covers the apology quite nicely and has a roundup of relevant commentary and an followup of the lies.

And Oh! those tiresome headlines!

All I've got to say at this point is why wasn't a resignation included in his speech yesterday?  Republicans have been drummed out for much less!  But even if we don't go down that partisan trail, a married U. S. Representative sending lewd pictures and messages to young women who may or may not be of age (did he know?) certainly indicates poor judgment and a total lack of ethics.

This guy needs to go.  Now.

No New Blog

I gave thought for a couple of days about starting a new blog for the purpose of posting my antique and glassware hobby items, but for now, I've decided against it.  You'll have to continue to put up with my Milly Rose pics and other antiquing forays here.  An eclectic mix of politics and antiques.  Where else can you find THAT in the blogosphere?

Seriously.  I don't have an "Etsy shop," I don't have music in the background of my blog, and I'm not crafty.  I like digging around at Milly's, I like going to estate sales, and I like collecting glassware.  That's about it.  As best I can tell, most of the "antiques & collectibles" blogs I've been researching lately exist primarily for the purpose of promoting an Etsy shop or an eBay store. 

I might change my mind one day, but for now, nah.  I'll keep things the way they are.

(The photo is a vintage Houbigant perfume bottle that belonged to my grandmother.)

Remembering D-Day

In remembering D-Day today, I want to reprint a portion of my post from last year:

I've written before about Greenwood Cemetery here in Shreveport.  It's not far from my house and Steve and I visit there occasionally because there's a huge veteran's section; plus, I have some family buried there.  One day a few weeks ago we decided it had been a while since we'd gone through there so we pulled in, got out of the car and started walking through the veterans section reading headstones.

The veterans buried there are from the Spanish American war on up to current times.  I've mentioned before, we found several with "Purple Heart" notations on their headstones.  I'm always curious about their stories.  Every one of those people buried there has a story.  I wish I knew them all.

I'm particularly interested in the Kelley (brothers?).  I posted on these two not long ago.  We stopped at these graves first because we noticed that they both had the same last name ("Oh how sad for this family to lose two sons in the same year!") and on closer inspection, Steve gasped and said, "Oh no!  He died on D-day!"

Bose F. Kelley died on D-day, June 6, 1944.  William G. Kelley, (his brother?) died on November 10, 1944.

I've tried to do some online research on them but come up pretty empty.  I found this:

...but I can't swear it's the same guy because the date of death isn't the same as what's on his stone.  I have found record of Bose F. Kelley here.  He was part of the 507 parachute infantry regiment; their mission was to drop near Amfreville and "hold the La Fiere causeway in support of the 505th PIR."  They were to hold a defensive line between Gourbesville and Le-Hameau Renouf.  You can read about the mission here and here.  Here is one soldier's testimony of that day.  Here is the site of the son of one of the members of the 507th with pictures and information about that day.

I wish I knew the Kelley's stories.  They have surviving family here somewhere; somebody goes out there regularly and places flowers.  They are not forgotten.

I'm not trying to be lazy in recycling last year's post, but I think about these two fellows on D-Day.  Like I said, I don't know them, never knew them, don't know their family, but I hope one day to learn who they were and hear their story. 

In all actuality, they were like most boys in WWII: young hometown boys who went off on a war to support their country. 

Here are a few D-Day links for you:

WWII Veterans Mark D-Day Anniversary in Normandy.

Omaha Beach and the 67th Anniversary of D-Day

D-Day Veteran Recounts Battle

D-Day Veterans Remember Fighting, Fear, Courage

Watch this lovely video of one veteran's trip with the Louisiana Honor Air program:


Take time to remember today.  I'm going to place a flag at the graves of the Kelley brothers.

Full Metal Jacket Reach Around: The Full Weekend Edition

A late FMJRA on a Sunday evenning.  Rain is starting to move through (hallelujah!) and I've been busy all weekend with various duties and activities so I'm slow on the go with my round up.  Friday night we went to the Blues and Bar-B-Que event on Barksdale AFB.  It was hot, hot, hot but we had a big time.  AJ and the Two Tone Blues played and the BBQ was catered by The Shed.  T'was fabulous.  We ate, watched a pie eating contest, danced, drank Sam Adams, and tried to stay cool.

Saturday I hit a couple of garage sales and one estate sale.  I picked up this cute, cute vase (pictured below, right), but that was the end of me.  I've spent the rest of the weekend trying to identify and date the thing.  It's not enough for me to have a pretty piece of glass and just enjoy it.  Oh no.  I have to know when it was made, what company made it, and everything else I can find out about it.  I'm obsessive and it drives me crazy.  Truly.  I am thrilled when my research pays off and I can find the name of a pattern or a maker.  So far I've been thwarted on this piece so I'll probably have to haul it over to Milly and see what she can tell me. 

Anyway, my obsessions aside, let's see what my favorite bloggers have to say this week:

Doug Ross points out that The White House website is now Obama campaign headquarters.

Pecan Corner is collecting pottery!  We're on the same wavelength, sort of.

Ed Driscoll writes about WeinerGate but it's not THAT WeinerGate...On a related note, see No Sheeples Here!

Via The Lonely Conservative, Ann Marie Buerkle grills the EPA.

TrogloPundit reports on Weiner's cancelled speech.

The Other McCain has been on The Cain Train since the very beginning.

American Power sees Cain momentum.

Bwahahahahaa!  Paco highlights the funniest story of the week.

Mind Numbed Robot reports on the Texas prayer case.

Speaking of graduations, Bride of Rove comments on graduation speeches in general and has advice of her own.

Another Black Conservative is not feeling the "economic recovery" thing.

The Pirate's Cove comments on the poor economy and Obama's 2012 plan.

Protein Wisdom on why Palin matters.

Bachmann/Bolton in 2012? Reaganite Republican explains.

Andrew Sullivan insults Professor Jacobson.

I almost don't notice things like this anymore; I'm glad Adrienne does.

Pundette has a roundup of thoughts and a pretty picture of hollyhocks.  I had hollyhocks once!

I'm going to get back to my research on my vase.  Back to the real world tomorrow.

Friday's Found Treasures

It's Friday and it's summer, so I hit a few estate sales and a couple of garage sales this morning.  Treasure hunting!  This is what I came home with:

At my first stop I picked up a large, heart shaped Belleek dish (like the one pictured left)  stillin the box.  It's the gold stamp (1981-1992) and it was still in the box.  I paid more than I wanted to ($20) but I can never leave Belleek behind.

At my next stop I got these cute turkey salt and pepper shakers:

I thought they were cute and I'll use them on Thanksgiving.  I paid $3 for them.

Then I got this green bowl in the Cherry Blossom pattern.  I paid $2 for it because there is a small chip on the rim.  A true collector would probably have left it, but I liked it and for $2, well..

It's the larger, 8-1/2 size.  It looks pretty in my china cabinet and that little chip means I won't be afraid to use it!

At my next stop I picked up this oval serving dish in Hocking's Miss America pattern:

I paid a hefty $18 for that one, but it's flawless and I love the pink.

My find of the day was these three goblets from Central Glass Works:

 

The pattern is 1426-1 and has floral etching on the bowl.  They're a gorgeous pink and flawless.  There were only three of them and I paid $5 each for them!   Central Glass works was in production from 1895 to 1939 so these are pretty old.  I love, love, love them!

Good day treasure hunting!  More expensive than usual, but I'm pleased.  

Musical Blogs Turn Me Off

I've been adding some new blogs in the blogroll.  As my antiques and vintage glassware hobby grows, I've been searching out blogs from folks with a similar interest.  There are lots of them.  I've added two or three.

One thing I'm noticing about antiques blogs...many of them play music when you open them.  That's an absolutely positive way to get me to click away from your blog.  I don't necessarily want to mute my computer just to read your blog.

How would you like it if Martina McBride's "Independence Day" blasted you when you opened my blog? 

Bah.  I'm grouchy today.

Is America Ready for Herman Cain?

Two Thumbs Up for Rep. Jeff Landry of Louisiana

Two thumbs up for U. S. Rep. Jeff Landry (R.-La.)!!  In declining Obama's invitation to the White House this morning following last night's vote on the debt ceiling, Landry said,

“I have respectfully declined the president’s invitation to the White House today,” Rep. Jeff Landry (La.) said in a statement. “I don’t intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a president whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt.”

Well said.

Landry is a freshman Representative from the very southern tip of Louisiana.  His website is here.  His Facebook page is here.  Twitter feed is here.

In his statement he also said:

“Until the president produces a responsible deficit reduction plan, I’m not going to the White House to negotiate with myself. Our conference has put out for months where we would start the process,” 

Read the rest to see what he has to say about Obama's attention to the people of south Louisiana.  If Landry continues to stick by his guns like this, he'll do well in my book.

 
(H/T:  Memeorandum)

No Prayer at High School Graduation

This country is going to hell in a handbasket.  When will people get enough of this baloney:

A federal judge in South Texas has banned public prayer at a high school graduation ceremony after the agnostic parents of a senior went to court.  The ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio came as Medina Valley High School in Castroville prepares for Saturday’s graduation. 

Biery’s order, released Tuesday, was in response to a lawsuit filed by Christa and Danny Schultz on behalf of their son, Corwin, to block use of prayer. The judge says speakers cannot call on audience members to bow their heads, join in prayer or say “amen.” 

Assistant Superintendent Chris Martinez says school officials will follow the order against public prayer, but they do not believe the district has done anything wrong. 

Political correctness gone amok.   We need more common sense and less litigation.

More here.

John Bryson is Unacceptable as Secretary of Commerce

Obama's pick for Secretary of Commerce is unacceptable.

John Bryson may have private sector business experience, but that may not be good enough.  Bryson is on record as saying that Waxman-Markey was "moderate, but acceptable."  You'll remember Waxman-Markey bill as the cap and trade legislation that attempted to regulate every aspect of your life with regard to energy and promised to make energy bills skyrocket.

If Bryson thought THAT bill was "moderate," I shudder to think what he would find more acceptable. 

As Mark Tapscott points out, there were quite a few Senate Democrats who were on record against cap and trade, so this ought to make for an interesting Senate confirmation.

Senator David Vitter issued a statement yesterday calling the nomination "deeply disturbing":

“Louisiana's greatest jobs challenge is restarting drilling in the Gulf. So President Obama nominates someone as his jobs secretary who co-founded the group that files more baseless lawsuits against drilling than any other. This is deeply, deeply disturbing,”

The company to which Vitter refers is The National Resources Defense Council founded in 1970 by John Bryson, John Adams, and Gus Speth, among other activists.  The group has, over the years, filed hundreds of lawsuits...

*  To stop a new coal-fired power plant in Michigan

*  Against the Army Corps of Engineers in Kansas to halt construction of a BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) intermodal facility because:

“The thousands of trucks expected to move in and out of that rail yard every day will produce toxic diesel fumes that could pose serious health problems for the surrounding communities, including increased rates of asthma, respiratory disease and cancer. The Army Corps has a responsibility to protect people from these health impacts.”

*   Against a Kentucky coal company for violations against the Clean Water Act.

*  Against the FDA for chemicals found in anti-bacterial soaps.

*  Against International Paper for violations of the Clean Water Act.

*  Against the EPA over pesticides that damage honeybees.

*  Against "backyard drilling" in Los Angeles

* Against MMS for the use of seismic surveys in the Gulf which "disrupts marine life."

*  The group has promised to file suit over new drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico.

*  Against Ken Salazar for approving permits for oil and gas activity in the Gulf that fails to protect whales and other mammals in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here is Bryson himself advocating major reduction in carbon and applauding California's approach to carbon emissions. 



And here he, in 2009, discusses climate change and federal climate change legislation. 



The man is clearly anti-business and is a totally unacceptable candidate for Secretary of Commerce.