Sep 2, 2019 3 min read

We rolled down the driveway early Sunday morning, determined to make the most of our day. You see, my husband and I had planned a long, scenic drive out Route 40 to do some shopping and spend the day together, sans children. It was raining when we left, a perfect day for a farmer to take away from the chores that are ever-waiting.

I’ve mentioned before how we love walking through antique shops and it is still true. We enjoy the smells of the old houses that are often the sites for the shops. We love the haphazard way things are often displayed in them (although I mentioned more than once this time that the clutter in my home is more than I could bear, and we can NEVER open a shop like these.)

I saw so many things made me feel something. A display of dainty handkerchiefs that reminded me of the ones my grandmother carried. A showcase of old coins that caught my eye because its inner mechanism was motorized and would change the display at the touch of a button. A rack of ties that brought back a memory of a time when I wore them occasionally with blouses.

I saw so many beautiful wood carvings. A small bust of an African woman wearing only a headdress and an expression of calm power. A rooster whose every feather was detailed. Primitive silverware and serving utensils. All made with a skill that I will never have the patience to develop.

Other things made me laugh. A cookie jar that is was shaped like a monk and read “Thou shalt not steal.” Vintage clothing in sizes so small that I wonder if everyone from that era was going hungry. Actual wooden shoes. And a small notebook-sized cookbook whose purpose was listed as “helping you bring out the best in budget cuts of meat.”

This three-inch-tall tract made the reader believe that cooking well on a budget is possible simply by adding one ingredient to all of their recipes: Hellmann’s Mayonaise. A cup in this dish, a half-cup in that one. Apparently, this turns the cheapest piece of steak into restaurant quality in no time.

My husband scoured sections of old farm implements for items he had never seen and found a couple of small pieces. We bought a couple of albums for our daughter and a train sign for our son’s room. A few other purchases and off we went again.

We got lost once or twice, despite the use of my GPS. Perhaps that cloud cover that made it possible to sneak away was also making the satellites run slowly, but we weren’t getting enough notice before we needed to make turns. We were continuously rerouted, and once the lady simply demanded that we drive the highlighted route.

I briefly wondered if there was something wrong with my phone, but I decided not to worry about it. We weren’t in any kind of hurry and we had a full tank of gas, so we just enjoyed the scenery and the day. Besides, it is likely nothing that soaking it in a cup of mayo can’t fix.