Musings in the Snow

We have about a foot of snow on the ground. Today is a picture perfect day. The backyard is untouched, covered in its blanket of white. Gorgeous! The sky is beginning to brighten and the dire predictions and warnings have been lifted. Yesterday was a great day to hole up and watch football and generally be glad to be inside. It was snowing, blustery, nasty. But today is the kind of day to go get in it. Not too cold, the wind is quiet, and the snow is beautiful. Man, I love snow!

Last week I talked about Heffy hitting 100 feedback on eBay and 100 friends on myspace-a big deal for Heffy's Collections! We rolled out more clothes and quite a few pieces of jewelry for the holidays. We're rolling out more this week, and will try to add some collectibles because we're down to-oh dear-none. Gotta fix that. So keep an eye open for Heffy's latest.

Last week was the anniversary of my Mom's passing, many years ago. She was my best friend, idol, mentor, and so much more. We spent a lot of time together, talking, cooking, laughing, sharing, and shopping. When I was younger, we didn't have much money, and my mother was very frugal. She was very careful where and how she spent money. She liked to search rummage sales, thrift shops, Goodwill, wherever she could get a bargain. She took me with her and I loved it. One church had a woman who liked the same styles of clothes my mom did and wore the same size. Every year, she would donate her clothes to the rummage sale (I always imagined to go get new ones). Butte Knit suits, cashmere sweaters, Daltons, the good clothing names of the day. Not couture, but good. This particular rummage sale was popular, so it became harder and harder to be sure we'd get the best stuff. We'd go early to be first in line. We'd plot how to move when we got inside-I'd go one way and my mom would head in another. I thought it was great fun to have this joint adventure. Most of the time we succeeded in coming away with enough for my mom's wardrobe, exhausted and laughing at our exploits. Later on, my mom kept adding by going to any sales she could find. One time my dad counted and she had 80 sweaters. Most were someone's discards. Lucky mom.

When I went to Iowa, I quickly located the local Goodwill and made it one of my shopping spots. They had marvelous vintage, even then, and I had fun finding unique clothes. I even got a full length beaver coat to wear to football games. It was great. My mom would still pick up things for me when she found them. She found a wedding dress from the '30's at a rummage sale and bought it for me. No reason-I think I was a sophomore at the time and she would have been horrified if I'd even been thinking about getting married. When it did come time though, I had a friend look at the dress to see if it was possible to wear it. The satin bodice was pretty badly stained. She removed the old lace, replaced the bodice, and returned the old lace just perfectly. My grandmother had a '30's pearl choker that was just the right necklace for the dress.

Now, Becky and I are continuing the hunt, only at flea markets (I don't think there are many rummage sales any more, but there isn't much difference between a rummage and a flea). We search the local Salvation Army. We laugh, we cook, we talk, and we shop. Now Becky is my best friend and we are determined to make Heffy's Collections a success together. I think my mom is smiling!