I'm Pretty Sure I'm a Shopaholic

Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe I just have good taste, or maybe it's an addiction. All I know is I really want to buy dishes. I encountered this issue last summer as I drove across the U.S. and Canada. I bought salt and pepper shakers in Minnesota, antique bowls and new plates in British Columbia, and a vibrant orange pitcher set with sugar bowl and creamer somewhere in between. I don't even eat cream. Then I got home and ordered about a dozen Pyrex bowls from ebay. I wondered at time of purchase if I'd regret getting those things. When I bought them, I envisioned them all in my kitchen in Minnesota but I love them so much I'm keeping them in California. They really help my little living space feel like a home. So now I'm re-dreaming the same Minnesota kitchen fantasy, and it's really hard not to buy stuff.

Over the past few weeks, I've been driving between Backus and Becida a lot. There are several antique stores between the two places and I've been telling myself I'd stop in and check them out as soon as I have time. I've been so busy as I travel back and forth that I only made my first stop yesterday. And I didn't really have time then either, I was late to meet the guys to go fishing! I entered the store and my first impression was that there was a whole lot of junk piled in a disorderly fashion from floor to ceiling. My second impression was that everything was overpriced; I saw a set of four Pyrex mixing bowls for 100 bucks! Gimme a break! I almost walked right back out, but there was SO much stuff, thousands of dishes, that I had to look around and at least see what they had.

I chatted with the shop-keeper and he asked me about the California economy and compared and contrasted it to Minnesota's. Then he turned on the radio and there was a talk show discussing the economy in Minnesota versus California. Weird. Most of the dishes didn't appeal to me, but there were a few sets I coveted majorly. I even took a second look at the hundred dollar Pyrex bowls and found their condition to be flawless. Second thoughts crept quickly into my mind, weakening my self-control...

Many of the dish sets were priced as a group, and many were priced as individual pieces. I hated to think about a nice set of dishes being all split up in different places... wouldn't the big plates miss the little saucers?? Gee, I wonder who has separation issues... I found two sets I nearly couldn't live without. One was a group of four Care Bear glasses. One glass was marked at $10 so I had to ask the shop keeper if that was the price for one glass or the set of four. It was for the set, so I bought them without hesitation. I know what you're probably thinking, so let me justify my desire for them: Firstly, Care Bears are probably the most positive demonstration of loving values and strong morals ever found in a child's toy. Secondly, the glasses were in like-new condition. They were copyright dated 1983 which means they came out when I was five years old, so thirdly, they appeal to me strongly through sweet childhood memories. Seeing the Care Bear movie in the theater was a really big deal to me in 1983. At Lynea's house, she has similar glasses themed with Star Wars on one set and Peanuts characters on another. One has a picture of Charlie brown in a river raft paddling fruitlessly in one direction while Woodstock has his fishing line snagged on something, behind Charlie Brown's back, holding the boat stationary. Charlie Brown's quote bubble says, "Rats, why is having fun always so much work?" That cracks me up and I think of it often when I'm sweating like a pig on a hike or something. Fourthly, drinking from the glasses is fun. Fifthly, each of the glasses has a bear bearing a different mood, so one could choose one's dish based on current or desired mood. Here are the glasses:

From left to right are pictured Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Grumpy Bear. In case you can't tell from the picture, these are not shot glasses; they are full size drinking glasses, seven inches tall or so, probably hold a pint. Each one has a little catch phrase on the back. I can't remember them all, but Grumpy Bear's says, "Hugs Welcome." Awwwwww, if you're reading this, you're welcome to come over for a glass of water and a hug when my cabin's done.


In addition to the Care Bear glasses, I also spent a fair amount of time gazing at a set of antique glassware. It was service for eight including dinner plates, saucers, teacups, big bowls, small bowls, and dessert plates. The price was $99 which seemed high to me. But then I thought about how I spent sixty dollars at Target for service for four that just had 16 pieces total. This set had 48 pieces total which put it at just over two dollars per dish. The condition of the dishes was amazing. They were a milky white color and each dish was painted with a design I've never seen before. They had delicate pink flowers with the most intricate green stems and leaves. The tea cups were painted on their outsides and the plates and bowls all had the design right down in their centers. As I considered longingly, trying to justify it in my mind, the shopkeeper told me he would let the entire set go for $80. Then he added he's pretty sure he also has somewhere a sugar bowl and creamer to match the set which he would include in the price if he could find them. Aw man, he made it hard to say no. In the end, I convinced myself it was very impractical to buy the dish set right now. I told the shopkeeper, "I think I better get some walls before I get dishes." He gave me his card, told me to check back in soon to see if he found the two missing pieces, and said he'd hold the $80 price if I changed my mind in the future. I gave him my card too, and asked him to call me if he found the other two matching dishes. Lynea promises to look at the dish set and give me a second opinion when she arrives out here at the end of the month. I'm not sure I can wait that long...