Featured Unintended Side Effects of Antiquing

Exactly. When the youngest of what had been 5 cats became the only cat, he got very clingy & I felt he needed a friend, hence, a little buddy, aka Gilligan. The cat Gilligan joined in the household was named Fenster. I have known 2 people who understood the origin of that name without prompting. Everyone else, no matter how much I try to prod memories, is clueless. Hint: In the days after I found him, for some reason names starting with F kept suggesting themselves. Hours before we had to go for a first visit to the vet, where I knew they would expect a name, I found myself saying to this very active 3 month old, You're such a little dickens! And the name presented itself.

 

Fenster....german for window.

Sidebar....
While living in Krefeld, I became set upon by my bronchitis ... almost bedridden ..
The maid, in my small B&B...delighted in opening the huge single window in my room, as wide as it would open ...while she cleaned up...despite me being under the covers.
It was late fall...and the temps were such that in the morning.....well...it was nippy....and that window was the size of a small door.....
So...one of the first things I learned to say in proper German was...
Bitte...geshclosen der Fenster !!!... alas...to no avail until she finished cleaning !

 

She may not have understood you.

 

Count me in among the ones who understood immediatel. You named him after Uncle Fester from the Addams Family.

 

Nope. Different sit com character:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'm_Dickens,_He's_Fenster

With Astin & Ingels, it was absolutely hilarious, but up against Sing Along with Mitch...

 

I've never heard of it, but then I wasn't born yet.

 

I don't have much more luck with people who are my age or older.

 

I swear I saw the word Fester.

 

A side effect is being more of a loner. I used to take friends and family treasure hunting, but gave up because they drove me nuts- "Look at this, look at that, come here, etc." I would also get "I am tired, I am cold, I am hungry, I want to go home." I have more patience and stamina then they do in this field. My little sister was fun to take, she went her way and looked for different things than me- her specialty was finding sterling pieces, and one time she bought an Art Deco cocktail shaker shaped like an hour glass for $2 and sold it for $120. Stuff I would pass by. We compared treasures at the end of our hunts. But she doesn't get up early anymore, so I go out alone. Sometimes hubby takes me to my thrifts on the way to the shore towns, but he gets up later, too.

I understand so many of your comments: nobody is excited about my finds, so I don't bore people with them. My house is furnished with second-hand items, especially older furniture, and I saved a fortune doing it and I love it all. I use coupons, wait for sales, and buy clothing at yard sales, etc., brand new at times, with tags still on.

The quality of older pieces is amazing. In terms of jewelry, I buy the real deal (gold, etc.) for what people pay for sterling now in the stores. I just bough a diamond wrap for my engagement ring, 14k, for $125 cash at a show. It all goes in a safety deposit box, keep nothing in the house, it's a retirement plan.

And I do hoard jewelry.... the costume is in plastic zip locks, in plastic shoe boxes, stacked on floor-to-ceiling Ikea bookshelves. And I need another one. I just was thrift shopping today, need to take a few pics.

I was in a small antique mall today, up north instead of south where I usually am, and the costume jewelry was ridiculously ovder-priced. The lady said she sold a ton the past few days. But the thrift shops had pieces for $1-$2, so my day was fun.

 

Unintended side effect: knowledge.

 

...or a good lesson !!

 

Tracks.....yes, Blanket....no!!!!

 

Relate to most things said here, and also, for me, memories of the time spent hunting and gathering with my Mom are priceless. We used to go to Renninger's quite a bit, can remember ending a successful garage sale weekend with a spur of the moment drive there to spend the proceeds, another time driving back with the seats in the old Toyota Tercel all the way forward and a six-foot maple secretary hanging out the hatchback, in cool weather, my beloved Aussie Bruiser, a perfect gentleman of a dog, joined us. Not sure that non-collectors understand the thrill of the hunt, the interesting people you meet, the joy of discovery in research, and the pleasure of organizing and displaying your treasure (which doesn't necessarily have great monetary value). My present life keeps me from anything more than a rare rushed visit to a close-by Goodwill, where I still find at least one prize, and a bit of online shopping - miss the hunt, but have lots of reminders of the decades spent in search of old stuff...

Adding to another tangent here, after we split up, my ex moved to an apartment complex filled with abandoned and feral cats, when he was out of town I would take over his feeding duties and one little family had a laid back little long-haired tuxedo who would curl up in my hand, face covered with food after eating his fill - when some idiot took only the mama and one baby, the ex captured the other four and they were fostered by his rescued mama-cat. That kitten was the most off-beat, coolest cat, and with his little goatee, he became Maynard G. Krebs, the name stuck after Mom adopted him, though he was more often called Maynard the Magnificent - when a little feral kitten joined her household, the only logical choice for a name was Dobie...

Don't recall ever seeing 'I'm Dickens, He's Fenster', but have always loved John Astin and his infectious grin, from The Addams Family and his many appearances on other shows, like as Harry's dad on Night Court, and Professor Wickwire on Briscoe County...

~Cheryl