Weekend Diversions and My Invisible Bird

I haven't been shopping for junk lately. I've been spending too much time here:

That's my deck. It usually has barbies, empty beer bottles and three-day-old banana peels on it. But I classed up my act a little bit for photographic purposes.

As my Facebook fans know, I planted some gerber daisies in a falling-apart tool caddy. (Read about all of the cool old stuff that they use for planters.)

We headed to New Jersey over Memorial Day weekend. My dad lives at the beach, near Atlantic City. (You may remember that fact from this heart-warming story).  My mom lives on the way to the beach. She decided to build an inground pool a few years ago as a sickening ploy to distract us on the way to my Dad's.

We always seem to fall for her trickery.

The regular pool was a little chilly, so the kids kept gravitating towards the hot tub. Here are 11 of the 15 grandchildren on my side of the family.

I don't think all the chlorine on earth could kill the poop and pee bacteria in there. I wonder how many times my mom has shocked the pool since Saturday.

The next day, we headed to my dad's. During the 40 minutes between my mom's house and my dad's house, I saw at least 15 yard sales, junk-filled antique stores and new-to-me flea markets. It took all of my strength not to tell Chris to STOP THE CAR! I would have sacrificed a few hours at the beach for a few hours of junking. My family doesn't share the same sentiment.

Look. Maeve's totally not even having any fun:

And Finn looks like he would much rather be following me through a dusty antiques store than playing on the beach with his cousins, Peter and Cade.

Whatever. Someday they will learn about real fun.

Oh - but I DID hit a pre-Memorial Day estate sale.  This might make up for a whole weekend without going to yard sales.  It is a four-feet-high wire birdcage with a detachable planter at the bottom.

Here is the planter part:

Can you see the sliding door? It gives me easy access to my bird. (That's what she said.)

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How about a behind-the-scenes look at how I rigged the birdcage? In order to take pictures of it, I used string to tie the birdcage to the railing on the second floor of my entryway.

It was kite string. Which was really stupid, since the birdcage is very heavy and the string is very weak. Lucky for me, the string didn't break and the birdcage didn't collapse. I would have hated to explain the scratches on the wood floor to Chris. "It was horrifying! I was taking pictures of my invisible bird for my blog and the kite string snapped and nearly crushed me." I don't think I would have gotten much sympathy.

Comments

[Catherine]

Hey Coll~ I'm thinking after a few glasses of wine, the bird will magically appear? I'm willing to give it a shot :)

[Tamarah]

...hahahaha....Colleen I NEVER leave your blog without a BIG FAT smile....So THANKS lovey for yet another... :o) !!

I admire your STRENGTH & fortitude....I'm sure your kids were VERY appreciative of their time at the beach....They certainly look like they were having the best time....There will be other garage sales & flea markets....!!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

[Tamarah]

PS: LOVE you deck & that birdcage is AWESOME.... :o) !!!

[Amy]

So other than the toolbox with the daisies....what is yard sale/junk stuff?

The deck looks great and I bet it is even better with a dirty martinI!

[kimberly]

*love* this post - not only the humor, but that heavenly deck and barn!
sadly, my family simply doesn't "get" the joy of looking at - as they refer to it - old chippy crap.
sigh...
xx

[Frenchee le Trip]

Colleen,

Chuckles! I just want to say you are the most delightful writer. Love it, love it.

Hope you come a travelling over to Provence one day, I'll bet you're a hoot to travel with.

[steff]

is that an outdoor carpet? where can I get one?

[freshvintage]

Hi Steff - Yes, it is an outdoor rug. It doesnt try as quickly as other outdoor rugs that Ive bought in the past (I dont care because it looks damn cute). It is from Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Floral-Rug-Green-60x96/13316548

[freshvintage]

Hi Steff - Yes, it is an outdoor rug. It doesn't try as quickly as other outdoor rugs that Ive bought in the past (I don't care because it looks damn cute). It is from Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Floral-Rug-Green-60x96/13316548

[freshvintage]

Hi Amy - I mostly have new stuff on my deck. I had a hard time looking for comfortable vintage furniture that could withstand the weather and sun, AND would look good on a brand-new deck. I gave up and opted for black metal furniture. But I plan to slowly mix in some vintage.

[Michele]

You crack me up!

[robyn]

You had me as a new follower with your "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"

[professional photo editing]

Love the deck,looks like it is missing the barbie and the banana peels though!

[Tiffany]

this is GORGEOUS!! I have a small (er, huge) obsession with vintage bird cages. So jealous!