Rural Ohio: Cherries, Snakes and Junk part 1

The kids and I headed out early Wednesday morning to visit my parents 2 hours away in Southeastern Ohio. It may not seem that long to you, but it's an eternity to a 4, 6 and 9 year old. No DVD player in this car. Ack!

I happen to like the drive and have done it for the past 19 years. My parents decided to move south right after I graduated high school. Once I found an apartment with a friend, they couldn't have moved away any faster - no empty nest syndrome for them. No siree! But then again, I suppose after raising the last of five daughters I might want to get outta Dodge as quickly as possible too.

I always admire this beautiful red barn during my many drives. It reads FLEAMARKET and lists details for the weekly sale. Know how many times I've been to it in 19 years? Zero times. Yes, zero. Why, you ask? Hmmm. I guess it's because I'm always on a mission to get to my parents' place, yet it's always too late to do so when coming home. For 19 years this has been going on.

Now I've actually stopped at the the next Antiques store a few times. It's closer to their house and so much easier to get to.


Beautiful Tappan Lake is a sign we are close to arrival. Mom and Dad live just five minutes from the lake.


I must admit I'm envious of those whom have homes along the lake and those that throw Pontoon Boat parties on the water. I just saw one on this trip with three Pontoons hooked together. Everyone appeared to be having so much fun!


This part of the lake is filled with vibrant green lily pads. It is such a sight to see!

Alas! Welcome to Deersville Ohio! The name says it all! Lots of camping and hunting going on in these here parts.

Small, rural towns always have one of these, don't they?


This is one downtown I feel safe in at night.

There are so many historic homes in the downtown area. Many of which have been rehabbed beautifully. The one below has a For Sale sign out front...prices are good.




I love the weather meter on the front of this house.
Some of the buildings look dilapidated, however, are still in business.
A not-so-politically-correct sign sits at the end of the road where my parents live. It doesn't seem to bother the locals one bit.
And we're almost there! Imagine the drive through here in the winter.

This former home sits untouched directly beside my parents' drive. It was old 19 years ago, but I do remember it standing then.
Make the turn and we are now in their driveway. (Again, imagine this drive in the winter...or the spring for that matter!) I wonder what kind of junk treasures are in store for us? Stay tuned for part 2 and you shall see.

These Shoes Were Made For Junking

Every good junker knows one of the most important items to have while scavenging for treasures is a good pair of junking shoes. They are there to support you through all the cement, dirt paths, rocky roads and mud pits that come your way. Well, my tennies have done me proud for a long while now, but the poor guys have to be placed into mandatory retirement. Sigh.

I know. I know. There are those of you who might think I'm being insensitive to the needs of the "older" sector by forcing them into a jobless existence, however, I look at it as providing my junk shoes with an opportunity to relax a bit. To be able to garden and mow the lawn on their own time, at their own pace...aahhhh, nice.


Now let me introduce you to my bright, young junk whippersnappers I employed just today! Dr. Sholl's Natural Sport shoes with "massaging gel inserts". Now it's my turn to say aahhhh, nice.


These guys better work hard for me during my junking jaunts or I may have to bring the old ones out of retirement to use as consultants!


Do you have a favorite pair of shoes you like to wear while junking? Boots? What's your junk footwear story??

As always, take care and keep on junking!

ps...it's great to be back!

Were Mom And Pops Holding Out On Me?

The girls and I made our two-hour trek south to my parents house for Mother's Day, just as planned. Let me tell you, we had a blast! The weather was perfect for this time of year and my mom warned me to bring along the girls' garden boots because their yard was still a soggy mess in some parts. She was not kidding! I think the mud and slop made it more fun for the girls though, and their mud-splattered behinds were proof!

Mom also mentioned she had some junk at her place that I could take home if I wanted. That's when Pops led me to their storage garage on the far side of their property. Woohoo! Loads o' junk to behold! Had they been holding out on me all these years on purpose?

I really loved this rusty yellow toolbox. Isn't it great?


Go west young junker! What would you do with a "W" from a weathervane?



A wooden box with a hinged lid will come in handy. Uses range from additional storage to inserting a potted plant or two. How about a big ol' chunk of coral chock full of fossilized sea life?

A meat grinder. What to do with a rusty meat grinder? Come on! Let's brainstorm!




Gasoline Alley. I took a stroll near the back end of the garage and came across this bad boy. Not too far away from it was this awesome vintage blue cooler that will keep our drinks chilled at the get-together I'm having this weekend.


It will be minus the cobwebs and dirt of course.



The more junk I came across, the more I needed to pull myself together.



I couldn't quite figure out what these wood-slatted boxes were, can you? Even my dad wasn't sure and they were in his garage. I have three.



As you can see I enjoyed myself tremendously this Mom's Day. (My mom loved all her goodies and the kiddos had fun too!) Word to the wise...you can only fit so much rusty junk in a Pacifica when you have three little girls traveling with you. Thank goodness the girls "get" me. Nice thing is Mom and Pops asked me to come back soon to retrieve more loot! A big thanks goes out to them.

As always, take care and keep on junking!

Share Your Junk With Mom

There's nothing sweeter than being able to go through your junk stash to find all the makings of a perfect Mother's Day morning surprise.

Mom knows we are spending the day with her this Sunday on Mother's Day, bringing along a delicious lunch to share. What she doesn't know is we are arriving bright and early with her her favorite banana crumb muffins too!


I had a ball gathering my favorite freebie canning jars which hold flower clippings from our front yard tree. The jars are the perfect shade of blue and are just right for Mother's Day.


I thought I'd tote along my vintage picnic basket, a freebie find that I normally use in another display in my home. I love the versatility of junk, don't you?


Ahhhh! The scrumptious Food of Honor. I couldn't share this post with everyone without a closeup of the food now could I?


The Food of Honor has been placed on a pedestal, the zinc lid from the Ball canning jar. Yummm! A queen we'll treat her 'til we eat her.



So why not share some junk with Mom? Then she'll really know she's Queen For A Day.


Do you have plans for Mother's Day? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

My husband, kids and I celebrated this past Sunday, a week early, since Hubs will be out of town on the real date. He kiddingly gave me the option of going to the zoo with them or to stay home and relax by myself. He wanted me to decide whichever would make my Mother's Day brighter.

I chose to go to the zoo.