The VEB review— yardsale haul, foster kittens, boycott Canada Goose.
New Hampshire was a lot of fun for me… I really enjoyed meeting you people who are (apparently) sharing a brain with me.
I spoke about obsessive bargain hunting, and shared some finds I’ve been sitting on in the last months (so that I’d have something fresh to talk about).
Equally importantly, I got my eyebrows filled in evenly for three consecutive days.
I cannot overstate this miracle.
This is the only picture I have of me alone. It’s not even in focus, but I hesitate to use any photo with other people in it. (Even if I think it’s great, they might hate it.)
It’s also not a good photo of the fair, but I chose an offshoot of the big barn to hide while using the wand of narcissism selfie stick… I bought it last year for Lara’s wedding– I knew I was going to take a million pictures, and I wanted to actually be in some of them– it worked great, especially for taking group shots. But for research’s sake, I will tell you that using it alone, you will definitely feel like a moron.
Anyway. Yard sale!
Every fall our community has a townwide yard sale… it never disappoints.
You can see my purchases from past years here and here.
This year:
Trunk- $5
The hardware on the trunk is awesome, and was the reason I wanted it… but after I owned it for about 24 hours I realized it’s not truly me, so I sold it and put the cash towards Utah GFT.
Vintage wire laundry basket – $3
NOT a reproduction… Hello? S.C.O.R.E.
Pair mid century patio chairs- $10
I sold the patio chairs but kept the cushions because finding original, vintage patio cushions is HARD! And I really liked the color/pattern. And I’m a hoarder.
Tall vintage fan – $5
Doll pram- $2
I had one of these doll strollers before; I bought it to see if Elvis would tolerate a photo shoot (no) so I sold it. This one is twice as big, and again, I had fantasies of a kitten photo shoot (no).
The last one sold to a woman who was hosting a vintage-themed baby shower, and she was going to fill it with (insert something I cannot remember) but was a cute idea.
That was it for the big stuff… I also got some antique seltzer bottles and some random dishes to add to my collection of why-do-I-buy-these-things?
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What I’m reading:
Leeway Cottage, by Beth Gutcheon… I don’t know how I missed reading this before! I really liked it! Story of a marriage, set against WWII and a Maine summer colony.
A Little Love Story, by Roland Merullo… set in Boston. A little bit of old houses, a little bit of Boston, a little bit of 9/11, a little bit of monks, dementia, Cystic Fibrosis, and love… all that sounds like a TERRIBLE combination of story lines, but he does it really well. I think his writing is very subtle and sometimes amazing.
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Pathological fashion obsession:
These animal bangles: leopard, elephant… I think they look super vintage-y!
This is me texting my mother to say I arrived safely and my luggage came through so I didn’t get have to wear pajama pants.
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Foster kitty updates:
The adult foster polydactyl Kitty got adopted nearly right away! Her new mom took the time to email me and sent two photos of Kitty looking very satisfied, so I feel good about that!
The foster kittens finally got fixed last Friday… two of them have been plenty big enough to be fixed way before now, but one of the three was very sick and she didn’t grow for the longest time!
I could’ve gotten the other two fixed when they reached weight, but they LOVE being together and I hated to separate them! It seemed good for sick kitten to have as much love as possible!
They are all healthy now and are on the waitlist for a cage at a PetSmart adoption center.
They are adorable and sweethearts. And I will miss them! Walking away from their little faces in a cage is going to be pretty crushing.
Did we think about keeping them? Sure. I’m STILL thinking about it!
I will worry: do they have a wonderful home? do they miss their sisters? do they miss me and Paul? But there are MORE who need help.
The need is so great for foster families, that I think ultimately that will help me feel okay with it.
If you are able to get involved with your local shelter, I think you will find it so rewarding!
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My Soapbox: boycott Canada Goose.
The trendy popularity of Canada Goose jackets is unbearable to me… not only are they filled with down (I wrote about down in this post,) they are trimmed with Coyote fur.
Coyotes are trapped in the wild, and leg traps are still legal in Canada… these animals languish typically for 24 to 72 hours before the trapper returns.
Mothers desperate to get back to their starving pups will attempt to chew off their own limbs to escape.
Animals who don’t succumb to the elements, blood loss, infection, or predators are strangled, shot, stomped on, or bludgeoned to death when the trapper returns.
These are videos, taken by the trappers themselves… they are not gory. Just incredibly sad.
Equally sad is the trapper’s narration… saying things like: getting the kill on video will be “neat” for people to see. Seeming to not understand the grotesqueness of videoing yourself killing an animal who has one mangled leg in a trap.
THIS IS WRONG.
There is no justification for the enslavement of other beings.
FUR = SUFFERING
Please do not buy Canada Goose products. Please don’t wear fur. Please don’t buy down feathers.
Please tell your friends that these products are the result of innocent animal’s AGONY!
If you own fur, and you don’t want to wear it anymore, you can donate the fur to to a wildlife rehabilitator— they use it to warm and comfort orphaned and injured wildlife.
If you read all of this, THANK YOU. I know that these things are terrible to confront, but it is up to us to say loudly and unapologetically that THESE THINGS ARE WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE.
October 25, 2016 @ 1:57 pm
I know this might not be the place to say this because I can tell there are a heck of a lot of anti-fur people who read this blog lol but I have two things to say about the boycott for Canada Goose jackets.
A) Canada actually has an overpopulation of coyotes and in fact they can be dangerous to both themselves and people/pets. I live in the country and I cannot tell you how many times I have to be careful when letting my dogs out. The packs have to get hunted at least once every other year or so because they don’t exactly stay at a distance and get far too aggressive (And by the way, when I say I live in the country, know that I live literally next to Ontario’s busiest highway and less than a 10 minute drive to the nearest city… which is by no means a small town)
B) Canada Goose has actually done a lot of research on fur vs faux fur and have come up with the same results time and time again that today’s versions of faux fur cannot actually compete with real fur in terms of retaining warmth. That is why, despite a lot of animal rights activists asking they change to faux, they refuse. Their product was originally made with warmth being the first priority. Another reason why the design hasn’t really changed much.
I would agree with you that leaving them in a leg trap is inhumane (and the coyote hunters that I know locally do not hunt in this manner) but I do not agree with boycotting the company.
Also, just to put things in perspective… I don’t even own a Canada Goose coat lol so this isn’t coming from brand-loyalty.
Anyway… I just had to put my two cents in. You are obviously welcome to have a different opinion from me. Nor do I think less of anyone who does so. That is everyone’s right in a free society 🙂
October 25, 2016 @ 2:49 pm
Hi Alison, I live in an area with a large deer population and I can tell you that hunts do not help overpopulation. You know what the first tell-tale sign is? You have to keep doing it. As for Canada Goose continuing to use real fur because it retains warmth better than faux- hogwash. They do it because it’s cheap and animals are expendable- including the vast numbers of geese who are mutilated and killed to fill their coats with feathers. It’s not just the fur that is cruel; it’s the whole damn thing.
If we want to reduce what we consider animal “over-population,” we must reduce human over-population- which contributes to over-development that pushes animals out of their natural habitat and creates what we consider a nuisance. Too damn bad; they were here first.
I firmly believe that animals are not ours to use and it’s nothing to lol about.
October 26, 2016 @ 11:47 am
As I said, you are absolutely entitled to your own opinion Abby. I have a different view on the subject. and I merely stated a few facts to support that view. That’s all 🙂
October 25, 2016 @ 2:08 pm
I could not read the rest of your post for the image of coyotes trapped, etc. I abhor cruelty to animals and the image stays in my mind…I can’t bear it. You love animals as much as I do..there is no need for suffering and barbaric ways to kill! I love your spontaniety (sp) in all your posts. Your enthusiasm for antiques is the same as mine. It is a “vice” when you have limited funds. Take care
October 25, 2016 @ 2:27 pm
Thank you for sharing those horrific videos. I am most struck by the looks on those intelligent animals’ faces before they are shot. They seem to say “maybe you won’t hurt me…” They look so scared but hopeful. Then BAM. It is frightening that other humans have the ability to look into their faces and blow their heads off. I will never buy from Canada Goose.
October 25, 2016 @ 2:28 pm
Don’t jump to the conclusion that coyotes are the innocent victims that some tend to believe. You wouldn’t feel nearly so bad for them if you saw them carry off your little dog, and I have lost many many cats and kittens to them. They are becoming a very real problem in so many areas. They travel in packs and can be very dangerous and cruel. I agree trapping seems cruel, but it is a viable solution to a very real problem for those who live in the country and now even in the suburbs.
October 25, 2016 @ 2:42 pm
And yes, I think you need to keep all three kitties.
October 25, 2016 @ 2:48 pm
As a Canadian I am always astounded and ashamed how barbaric we must sound to the rest of the civilised world what with our baby seal culling and now the knowledge that beautiful animals are being trapped and slaughtered so we can have fur trimmed coats filled with down. We are generally a very great country, polite, full of humour and we take our education and healthcare very seriously. I can only apologise that we have not evolved when it comes to the hunting of animals in the name of fashion.
I love your blog and yes, I don’t think you’re ready to fill Elvis’s void, fostering kittens for now is very fine indeed. 🇨🇦
October 25, 2016 @ 4:43 pm
Elayne, thank you for your post. Americans are not much farther along in the hunting animals for sport/fashion. I don’t condone it and I don’t understand it. We have coyotes here too, and while some have become a nuisance in suburban neighborhoods, with a little common sense, i.e. don’t let your pets outside unattended and for Pete’s sake, don’t let them run loose, use an led flashlight at night, coyotes don’t like it, and keep garbage and pet food (read don’t leave your pets outside unattended, which also means don’t feed them outside and then go off and leave the leftovers), they can be managed. I know farmers, ranchers, etc have different concerns than the ordinary pet owner, but this post was intended for the pet owner. Live and let live. And no, I’m not naive, I’ve both lived on a working farm, and in the burbs and am well versed in coyotes.
October 25, 2016 @ 4:24 pm
Victoria, I just love you! Seeing your email in my in-box is such a treat. I love how you are unapologetically quirky and delightfully modest. How refreshing! Stay well, my friend. I wish you a blessed autumn.
October 25, 2016 @ 4:48 pm
you’re a darling, and yes I got an email update 4 hours ago, and no I didn’t watch the animal torture films ( vegan so I’m excused) ♥
October 25, 2016 @ 5:41 pm
Victoria , I enjoyed your post very much … it also brought a tear to my eye a couple of times . Thanks for sharing your superb sense of style , thanks for being so funny , thanks for fostering those adorable kittens and thanks for speaking up for the animals that suffer under the cruel hand of humans NEEDLESSLY . There is NO NEED to wear fur , use down , or trap animals of any kind . If people are afraid coyotes will kill their pets than they should keep their pets inside. Letting a pet out unattended seems insane to me anyway … anything can happen to them , the list is endless. Thanks for posting …. oh and my mom had a wire laundry basket just like yours …. that she bought because she loved it too !
October 25, 2016 @ 5:46 pm
I love reading you! I too am an antique enthusiast, so I appreciate all your efforts! (Love the vid of you and hubs getting the mirror upstairs…the dancing is impeccable! You are destined for DWTS!) This post was great until you started talking about Canadian Goose. I couldn’t even view the video, I bypassed it as fast as I could. So sad!
Wand of narcissism…indeed!! So funny!
October 25, 2016 @ 5:54 pm
Victoria I apologize for my country and I had no idea traps were still legal here. Coyotes are not dangerous like that woman said . Sure they will eat a small dog or cat but that’s what animals do get over it. Their main diet consists of plants and snakes anyways. I wish stupid people would educate themselves on wildlife.
October 25, 2016 @ 9:52 pm
Stupid? Really? Victoria, I have followed your blog for some time now and have enjoyed your writing so much, but I will now unsubscribe as I really hate to be called “stupid” for something I live with every day. There are always two sides to every question, and to be uneducated and express such strong opinions is showing ignorance of so many issues. Thank you for your time
October 25, 2016 @ 11:17 pm
I reread Victoria’s post thinking I had missed something and I couldn’t find any indictment of anyone’s intelligence just a heartfelt plea to have pity on the animals used for their fur and feathers when there are myriad alternatives. I feel bad that something about the post made you feel bad but imagine how these animals feel and their hurt involves agonizing prolonged physical pain and therefore attention must be paid if we are the higher beings and the dominant intelligent species.
October 26, 2016 @ 8:22 am
It seems unfair to hold VEB responsible for content she did not write?
October 25, 2016 @ 7:43 pm
I want that TRUNK LOL you sold already , it’s me
October 25, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
Oh phew! I was literally just thinking of you today, and lamenting about how I hadn’t gotten an e-mail about a new post in a while. I hoped that your adventures were going so well you just didn’t have time to share… and I was right 🙂
Love hearing about the VEB adventures, thank you for sharing and inspiring!
October 25, 2016 @ 8:44 pm
VEB, you are absolutely delightful!
I will never buy Canada Goose and I will spread the word!
October 25, 2016 @ 8:49 pm
Awareness is always a good thing. Definitely worth considering. However people are missing the whole point of this post! You’re coming to Utah!! I’ll host dinner! Come! Eat! I’m normal I promise. Also, how does Utah possibly contain a giant fancy thing better than what you find back east!? Inconceivable. I’m dying to see what it is. Google does nothing when I type in giant fancy things +Utah. Craigslist barely survives out here as we have KSL CLASSIFIEDS. Self has to avoid that site alltogether. Too many afternoons have been spent lost down that rabbit hole.
October 25, 2016 @ 9:08 pm
Thank you for informing your readers about the sad source of fur and down for the jackets. It’s appalling
October 25, 2016 @ 9:26 pm
Love your writing!
First, thank you for fostering! You make a difference in their world. Also, as an animal foster, I’d like to advise you to not keep the kittens! Kittens are easy to place – 3 full-grown cats will be difficult to place. And .. Elvis. And… There will always be more fosters who need you. We had ferals, one of whom has cerebellar hyperplasia and we kept him and returned two. Then a 24-lb cat in quarantine for being picked up with a bite who’d spent 3 months in a cage. Then, a pregnant young cat who’d gotten out and whose person was 80 and couldn’t keep her to have babies, so we kept her through the birth and six weeks later the shelter spayed and then returned her to her person and adopted out the babies. Then we had a 90-lb dog. And a lot of little dogs overnight. And then four 9-day-old kittens who lost their Mom and needed bottle-fed every few hours who truly believe we are their parents, and we adopted them all. And the n last year we adopted a 16-year-old dog and now we can’t foster any more because we are beyond full and we are busy paying for our veterinarians kid’s college. But the point is, I wonder all the time about all the animals who haven’t come to us and who need a soft place to land. Let the kittens go.
October 25, 2016 @ 9:57 pm
Sigh…I commented earlier today that of course you must keep the kitties. However, Cherie’s post above reminded me of MY last visit to Pet Smart. There were quite a few cats and several kittens. One of the cats, “Shirley”, had been adopted and even declawed (horrors!) but then her owners moved away and just left her behind to fend for herself. There were other adult cats with similar stories; sweet “Mark” who was back at Pet Smart for a SECOND time because his owners has a baby and decided that Mark had to go. Happily, “Ginger” and “Emmett” had an “Almost There” sign, both adorable kittens. So, yes, VEB, although it will be difficult, the kitties will have to go at some point so that the Marks and Shirleys of the world will have a loving foster home for awhile until their forever owner discovers them.
October 25, 2016 @ 10:00 pm
I commented earlier today that of course you must keep the kitties. However, Cherie’s post above reminded me of MY last visit to Pet Smart. There were quite a few cats and several kittens. One of the cats, “Shirley”, had been adopted and even declawed (horrors!) but then her owners moved away and just left her behind to fend for herself. There were other adult cats with similar stories; sweet “Mark” who was back at Pet Smart for a SECOND time because his owners has a baby and decided that Mark had to go. Happily, “Ginger” and “Emmett” had an “Almost There” sign, both adorable kittens. So, yes, VEB, although it will be difficult, the kitties will have to go at some point so that the Marks and Shirleys of the world will have a loving foster home for awhile until their forever owner discovers them.
October 26, 2016 @ 10:34 am
Thank you so much for your blog… I look forward to it and enjoy every word.
XO
KTO